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My Great-grandfather Turns 12 Today
Michael Farrell thought he was going to a birthday party . . . not back in time eighty-eight years. Michael has always had to share his birthday with his great-grandfather. Michael was born in 1974. His great-grandfather in 1886. Now, on the day Michael turns twelve and his great-grandfather turns one hundred, Michael finds himself on the family farm in the year 1898 and, he discovers, he and his great-grandfather are both twelve! As Michael learns more about this strange new — old! — world, he discovers he’s going to play an important role in saving the family from a disaster. It’s all up to him.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 2, 2019
According to a statement on the Website where downloadable books are for sale, Dodds wrote this book for Roman Catholic children ages 8-12. Having read several other books by Dodds, I was intrigued by the premise and the promise that adults would find it a fun read, as well. So I loaded it onto my phone to read whenever waiting for friends or appointments. (I always like to have something I can easily pick up and put down without dragging the latest library book with me everywhere.)
I completely enjoyed it--and was cajoled into both laughter and some serious thinking. I told a friend it reminded me of a cross between Amelia Bedelia and a deconstruction of Rip Van Winkle. Instead of going forwards in time like RVW, the protagonist, a twelve-year-old boy named Michael, goes backward in time to become a peer of his great grandfather. Most people in the family assume he's a long-lost cousin, but the two boys eventually grasp their time-warp relationship. The year Michael lands in is 1898, the year his great-grandfather turns twelve. There are myriad ways of misunderstanding each other--words and concepts--as the two twelve-year-olds cautiously become friends. Words can be a big source of misunderstandings (e.g. braces mean one thing to a kid born in 1974 and something altogether different to a kid born in 1886), as well as family life events (dinner hour for a city boy in the late 20th century is very different from what it is for a farm boy in of the late 19th century), as are garments made from modern-day fabrics, such as jackets, shoes, and swim suits (or the absence of the latter). Some of the misunderstandings are specifically due to Catholic traditions and practices, possibly puzzling or off-putting to non-Catholic readers, but they do not take away the overall message of the book.
So it's a lively and fun read for any age, but it has a GREAT message--the most poignant example of which is when the great-grandfather, now understanding that this twelve-year-old "cousin" is really his great-grandson who has time-traveled back to his own boyhood asks, "So, will I get my dream-job to crew a river boat?" and the boy has no idea because he's never asked his great-grandfather ANYTHING about his life. Until now, the great-grandfather was just an old man in a nursing home the boy's family visited on their shared birthdays.
Reading My Great-Grandfather Turns 12 Today makes you want to tell your grandchildren highlights of your life--and hope you can entice them to listen and care before it's too late.
I completely enjoyed it--and was cajoled into both laughter and some serious thinking. I told a friend it reminded me of a cross between Amelia Bedelia and a deconstruction of Rip Van Winkle. Instead of going forwards in time like RVW, the protagonist, a twelve-year-old boy named Michael, goes backward in time to become a peer of his great grandfather. Most people in the family assume he's a long-lost cousin, but the two boys eventually grasp their time-warp relationship. The year Michael lands in is 1898, the year his great-grandfather turns twelve. There are myriad ways of misunderstanding each other--words and concepts--as the two twelve-year-olds cautiously become friends. Words can be a big source of misunderstandings (e.g. braces mean one thing to a kid born in 1974 and something altogether different to a kid born in 1886), as well as family life events (dinner hour for a city boy in the late 20th century is very different from what it is for a farm boy in of the late 19th century), as are garments made from modern-day fabrics, such as jackets, shoes, and swim suits (or the absence of the latter). Some of the misunderstandings are specifically due to Catholic traditions and practices, possibly puzzling or off-putting to non-Catholic readers, but they do not take away the overall message of the book.
So it's a lively and fun read for any age, but it has a GREAT message--the most poignant example of which is when the great-grandfather, now understanding that this twelve-year-old "cousin" is really his great-grandson who has time-traveled back to his own boyhood asks, "So, will I get my dream-job to crew a river boat?" and the boy has no idea because he's never asked his great-grandfather ANYTHING about his life. Until now, the great-grandfather was just an old man in a nursing home the boy's family visited on their shared birthdays.
Reading My Great-Grandfather Turns 12 Today makes you want to tell your grandchildren highlights of your life--and hope you can entice them to listen and care before it's too late.
April 30, 2012
Michael and his great-grandfather share a birthday. Michael is turning 12 and great-grandpa Charlie will be 100. The whole extended family will be at the nursing home to celebrate such a special occasion. Charlie asks to speak to Michael alone and when they are together, something strange happens: Michael is transported back in time to when Charlie is turning 12. Michael meets the family, learns a lot about history, and has to try to help his family save their farm.
A fun read although I'm not sure who it would appeal to - perhaps a younger reader who is above grade level...
A fun read although I'm not sure who it would appeal to - perhaps a younger reader who is above grade level...
August 1, 2012
I loved this one! What a fun idea to have the great-grandfather and grandson have the same birthdays and have the grandson sent back in time to really get to know his great-grandfather who was turning 100! I love that he learned more respect for him and learned so much more about the family! I think every preteen should read this book, to really encourage them to learn more about their family and respect their elders!
April 28, 2015
Life Lessons for a 12 Year Old Boy
A boy reluctantly goes to visit his 100 year old great-grandpa who has the same birthday. He travels back to his grandpa's twelfth birthday and learns many thing about his family and 1898. The end of the book has a unique twist.
A boy reluctantly goes to visit his 100 year old great-grandpa who has the same birthday. He travels back to his grandpa's twelfth birthday and learns many thing about his family and 1898. The end of the book has a unique twist.
April 30, 2012
I loved this book! It was interesting and entertaining and funny. It also reminded me how many times I wish I would have asked more questions to my great-grandparents about their childhoods.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews