The size of what he’d volunteered to do hit Ted like a sack of grain. And all this was going to take money, too. Not to mention time.
But he’d said he’d help. He’d shaken hands with April and he’d said, “See ya later.” So it wasn’t like he had a choice!
Because a Scout is trustworthy.
And so is a detective. And a paperboy.
(from Room One, page 49)
Ted Hammond is the only 6th grader at Red Prairie Learning Center in Plattsford, Nebraska. With many farmers and families moving away, the school expects only five students in the coming year, and there are concerns the school could close completely. As it is, rooms have been shuttered to save money, there’s only one teacher for the middle schoolers, and Mrs. Mitchell and the students are responsible for keeping the building and grounds clean. Room One is the only room left open, and Ted has creating a learning space for himself in the middle. He does a lot of independent work and reads a lot of detective novels — so many that he fancies himself an amateur sleuth.
One day as he’s delivering papers, he sees a face in the window of the vacant farmhouse that once belonged to the Andersons. After some investigating, he discovers a young girl named April, who has taken up residence in the home with her mother and younger brother. Circumstances have forced the trio to seek shelter and stay hidden, but they’re running out of food. Big-hearted Ted agrees to help, as well as keep their secret.
The Girl (age 10) was assigned Room One by Andrew Clements for summer reading, but after reading Clements’ Frindle (read her review) for summer reading last year and not really enjoying it, it was like pulling teeth to get her to read this book. To make summer reading fun and encourage her to give Clements another try, I suggested that we read Room One together. Overall, The Girl is glad she gave Clements another chance, though she’s convinced he’ll never rank among her favorite authors, and I’m glad to have finally read something by this author I have heard a lot about from her.
Room One covers a lot of ground. It’s about a family living in fear, on the run, and in hiding and the young boy who takes it upon himself to help them. It’s also about the issues facing a struggling small town, and how these economic problems affect local schools, farms, and jobs. But mainly it’s the story of a struggling small town that pulls together to help a family in need. The town might have limited financial resources, but it has unlimited compassion, and we all could learn something from Plattsford’s residents.
However, it wasn’t the most engaging middle-grade book we’ve read. We agree that Clements takes too long to get to the point of the story, and we didn’t like how the point of view would shift several times in a chapter as the story progressed. We liked Ted, thought he was a kind-hearted, well-meaning boy, and we really felt for April and her family, but the ending was both anti-climactic and too neat given the circumstances. Still, I have to admire Clements for tackling serious issues in a middle-grade novel and giving younger readers many things to ponder.
Disclosure: We borrowed Room One from the library. I am an Amazon associate.
© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
That’s so too bad that it wasn’t great, because that sure is a fun cover!
I have really been surprised at how many MG books contain serious issues! I think my younger years were much more sheltered!! :–)
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Mine, too. I’m glad The Girl reads a mix of serious and silly books, though.
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That cover kind of creeps me out
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I can sort of see why. 😉
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It sounds like a good story, too bad it wasn’t better written. It makes you wonder why the school keeps selecting his work for summer reading.
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Maybe it’s just us because I’ve seen lots of praise for Andrew Clements!
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I’ve never read this author, but I could think of books and authors for middle grade readers that are much more interesting than this!
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oops and I meant to say better written.
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I knew what you meant! 😉
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Thanks for this one…
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And thank you for stopping by to read it! 🙂
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I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this author before…
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I never heard of him until The Girl had to read Frindle last summer.
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Maybe this novel should be for older children. The issues are difficult for a ten year old. Even though some children are living this reality, it might give other children some fright.
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I agree. The Girl wasn’t scared or anything like that, I think she maybe just didn’t understand what the family was going through. But part of that could be because she was sort of bored by the writing.
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The story sounds good, but I am sorry it did not work.
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Hey, you win some, you lose some. 🙂
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What a disappointment–Clements was always one of my sons’ favorite authors. And you could always count on him to write a story that kids enjoyed.
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Well, we’ve only read two of his books. She received No Talking from her teacher last year, so we’ll at least try that one before deciding not to read any more of his books.
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I love Andrew Clements! Frindle was my fave.
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I’ve heard such good things about his books since I posted The Girl’s thoughts on Frindle last year.
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[…] Room One by Andrew […]
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[…] Inbox: Scandal in the City by Holly Denham 66. Free to a Good Home by Eve Marie Mont 67. Room One by Andrew Clements 68. Trust by Kate Veitch 69. A Hidden Affair by Pam Jenoff 70. Living Dead Girl […]
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This book made my child very happy as a pick for her book report book onn mystery as her class’s genre
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🙂 But anyways 😀 Good book 😉
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I’m glad to hear year daughter really enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!
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