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Alida #2
Alida's Song
A remarkable novel about one of the most important, and loving, relationships in Gary Paulsen's life.
The wonderful grandmother seen through the eyes of a young boy in The Cookcamp reaches out to him at 14, offering him a haven from his harsh and painful family life. She arranges a summer job for him on the farm where she is a cook for Gunnar and Olaf, elderly brothers. Farm life offers the camaraderie and routine of hard work, good food, peaceful evenings spent making music together, even learning to dance. Life with Alicia gives the boy strength and faith in himself, drawing him away from the edge and into the center of life.
The wonderful grandmother seen through the eyes of a young boy in The Cookcamp reaches out to him at 14, offering him a haven from his harsh and painful family life. She arranges a summer job for him on the farm where she is a cook for Gunnar and Olaf, elderly brothers. Farm life offers the camaraderie and routine of hard work, good food, peaceful evenings spent making music together, even learning to dance. Life with Alicia gives the boy strength and faith in himself, drawing him away from the edge and into the center of life.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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About the author
Gary Paulsen
413 books4,004 followersGary James Paulsen was an American writer of children's and young adult fiction, best known for coming-of-age stories about the wilderness. He was the author of more than 200 books and wrote more than 200 magazine articles and short stories, and several plays, all primarily for teenagers. He won the Margaret Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1997 for his lifetime contribution in writing for teens.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
June 8, 2021
The most meaningful books of Gary Paulsen's long, distinguished career are at least partly autobiographical. Alida's Song, a followup (of sorts) to 1991's The Cookcamp, reflects back on the make-or-break years of Paulsen's tumultuous adolescence. Son of a mother and father who could each lay claim to being the town drunk, the boy, age fourteen, spends as little time as possible in his family's cramped apartment. He works multiple part-time jobs for little pay, doing dangerous work, to be financially independent. He sleeps in the furnace cubicle of his apartment building, filling the hours by reading books and constructing model airplanes. He barely graduated eighth grade, making the cut only because his teachers didn't want him hanging around for another year. This summer he plans to look for work on a farm, to grow his modest savings so when he comes of age he can leave home forever. But then he gets a letter from Alida, his grandmother, and the summer agenda changes completely.
The boy spent early childhood at his grandmother's cookcamp in Minnesota, where she was paid to prepare food for workers who built roads. Alida was more a mother than his own mother, a tough, generous woman who kept the little boy supplied with useful work to do so he didn't get into trouble. That's what he needs now: a firm hand to steer him clear of gang wars and alcoholism. Alida works at the Nelson farm with a pair of unmarried brothers named Gunnar and Olaf. Would the boy accept a summer job there as a farmhand for three dollars a day? He has no friends in his hometown, is too shy to speak to any girl, and three dollars is decent pay, so he agrees to his grandmother's request. Soon he's back in rural Minnesota, face to face with a woman who defined many of the few pleasant moments in his childhood. Alida's hug is like coming home from a particularly bleak exile.
Mornings at the Nelson farm start before dawn, but the boy knows how to work hard for his money. There are cows to milk, which requires a steady, soothing hand; painstaking weeding to do in long rows of corn; and sundry chores that come up constantly around the farm. The boy has to fend off geese when he goes to use the outhouse; the first time, several of the birds assault and nearly concuss him, but he learns to hit back and earn their grudging respect. The Nelson farm is nothing like Chicago (where he used to live), or the apartment he just came from, but the boy's life is all about adapting. At least here he has Alida, who has one more surprise before summer ends. The first Saturday of every month is the town dance, where farmers and families feast and make merry. The boy's paralyzing nervousness around girls flares up when he hears of the event; he'd rather stay at the farm and hide, but this Saturday his grandmother would have celebrated her forty-fifth wedding anniversary, were her husband alive. How can the boy abandon her today? Yet Alida sees the dance as an opportunity to introduce her maladjusted grandson to a world that might love him if he gave it a chance, to step out into the strange joys of adolescence and feel something besides trauma and disappointment. Looking back many years later, was his grandmother the most important figure of his youth? The final chapters of this book show us why that may be so.
Alida's wise insights are drawn from a life of honest work and tender concern for her grandson, who is slipping through the cracks of the world's system. What can be expected of an antisocial kid who does poorly in school and has almost no family support? Alida refuses to let him embrace nihilism, but how can she redirect his path? The scene at the Saturday dance when she selects him as her dance partner is a study in subtle benevolence. To the boy, introducing himself to a girl his age seems as impossible as flapping his arms and flying, so Alida asks him to be her first dance of the night. They've practiced at the farm, and as he demonstrates gentle, good-humored treatment of his grandmother, the teen girls at the party notice: they'd like some of his adoring attention, too. The invisible wall erected by his own awkwardness disappears. Now the girls covet a few minutes of his time for a dance, some shy conversation, maybe even a date later on. Alida's simple, sweet gift will color the rest of his life. No wonder the summer before high school looms large in his memory.
In some ways, Alida's Song functions as a sequel to The Cookcamp. It references the boy's summer with her almost a decade ago, but in this book he had spent several years with Alida, not just one summer. In The Cookcamp—at least, the edition I read—his grandmother's name is apparently Anita, not Alida. Sequel or no, Alida's Song obviously has emotional resonance for Gary Paulsen, and will ring true for any reader who has had a loving, self-sacrificing person in their life. I rate this book at least two and a half stars, and I'm considering the full three. It's not as thematically varied as The Cookcamp, and the narrative isn't as mesmerizing, but these pages bolster the heart like a loved one's hug. When Gary Paulsen writes about profound feelings, I listen.
The boy spent early childhood at his grandmother's cookcamp in Minnesota, where she was paid to prepare food for workers who built roads. Alida was more a mother than his own mother, a tough, generous woman who kept the little boy supplied with useful work to do so he didn't get into trouble. That's what he needs now: a firm hand to steer him clear of gang wars and alcoholism. Alida works at the Nelson farm with a pair of unmarried brothers named Gunnar and Olaf. Would the boy accept a summer job there as a farmhand for three dollars a day? He has no friends in his hometown, is too shy to speak to any girl, and three dollars is decent pay, so he agrees to his grandmother's request. Soon he's back in rural Minnesota, face to face with a woman who defined many of the few pleasant moments in his childhood. Alida's hug is like coming home from a particularly bleak exile.
Mornings at the Nelson farm start before dawn, but the boy knows how to work hard for his money. There are cows to milk, which requires a steady, soothing hand; painstaking weeding to do in long rows of corn; and sundry chores that come up constantly around the farm. The boy has to fend off geese when he goes to use the outhouse; the first time, several of the birds assault and nearly concuss him, but he learns to hit back and earn their grudging respect. The Nelson farm is nothing like Chicago (where he used to live), or the apartment he just came from, but the boy's life is all about adapting. At least here he has Alida, who has one more surprise before summer ends. The first Saturday of every month is the town dance, where farmers and families feast and make merry. The boy's paralyzing nervousness around girls flares up when he hears of the event; he'd rather stay at the farm and hide, but this Saturday his grandmother would have celebrated her forty-fifth wedding anniversary, were her husband alive. How can the boy abandon her today? Yet Alida sees the dance as an opportunity to introduce her maladjusted grandson to a world that might love him if he gave it a chance, to step out into the strange joys of adolescence and feel something besides trauma and disappointment. Looking back many years later, was his grandmother the most important figure of his youth? The final chapters of this book show us why that may be so.
Alida's wise insights are drawn from a life of honest work and tender concern for her grandson, who is slipping through the cracks of the world's system. What can be expected of an antisocial kid who does poorly in school and has almost no family support? Alida refuses to let him embrace nihilism, but how can she redirect his path? The scene at the Saturday dance when she selects him as her dance partner is a study in subtle benevolence. To the boy, introducing himself to a girl his age seems as impossible as flapping his arms and flying, so Alida asks him to be her first dance of the night. They've practiced at the farm, and as he demonstrates gentle, good-humored treatment of his grandmother, the teen girls at the party notice: they'd like some of his adoring attention, too. The invisible wall erected by his own awkwardness disappears. Now the girls covet a few minutes of his time for a dance, some shy conversation, maybe even a date later on. Alida's simple, sweet gift will color the rest of his life. No wonder the summer before high school looms large in his memory.
In some ways, Alida's Song functions as a sequel to The Cookcamp. It references the boy's summer with her almost a decade ago, but in this book he had spent several years with Alida, not just one summer. In The Cookcamp—at least, the edition I read—his grandmother's name is apparently Anita, not Alida. Sequel or no, Alida's Song obviously has emotional resonance for Gary Paulsen, and will ring true for any reader who has had a loving, self-sacrificing person in their life. I rate this book at least two and a half stars, and I'm considering the full three. It's not as thematically varied as The Cookcamp, and the narrative isn't as mesmerizing, but these pages bolster the heart like a loved one's hug. When Gary Paulsen writes about profound feelings, I listen.
March 1, 2024
The most meaningful books of Gary Paulsen's long, distinguished career are at least partly autobiographical. Alida's Song, a followup (of sorts) to 1991's The Cookcamp, reflects back on the make-or-break years of Paulsen's tumultuous adolescence. Son of a mother and father who could each lay claim to being the town drunk, the boy, age fourteen, spends as little time as possible in his family's cramped apartment. He works multiple part-time jobs for little pay, doing dangerous work, to be financially independent. He sleeps in the furnace cubicle of his apartment building, filling the hours by reading books and constructing model airplanes. He barely graduated eighth grade, making the cut only because his teachers didn't want him hanging around for another year. This summer he plans to look for work on a farm, to grow his modest savings so when he comes of age he can leave home forever. But then he gets a letter from Alida, his grandmother, and the summer agenda changes completely.
The boy spent early childhood at his grandmother's cookcamp in Minnesota, where she was paid to prepare food for workers who built roads. Alida was more a mother than his own mother, a tough, generous woman who kept the little boy supplied with useful work to do so he didn't get into trouble. That's what he needs now: a firm hand to steer him clear of gang wars and alcoholism. Alida works at the Nelson farm with a pair of unmarried brothers named Gunnar and Olaf. Would the boy accept a summer job there as a farmhand for three dollars a day? He has no friends in his hometown, is too shy to speak to any girl, and three dollars is decent pay, so he agrees to his grandmother's request. Soon he's back in rural Minnesota, face to face with a woman who defined many of the few pleasant moments in his childhood. Alida's hug is like coming home from a particularly bleak exile.
Mornings at the Nelson farm start before dawn, but the boy knows how to work hard for his money. There are cows to milk, which requires a steady, soothing hand; painstaking weeding to do in long rows of corn; and sundry chores that come up constantly around the farm. The boy has to fend off geese when he goes to use the outhouse; the first time, several of the birds assault and nearly concuss him, but he learns to hit back and earn their grudging respect. The Nelson farm is nothing like Chicago (where he used to live), or the apartment he just came from, but the boy's life is all about adapting. At least here he has Alida, who has one more surprise before summer ends. The first Saturday of every month is the town dance, where farmers and families feast and make merry. The boy's paralyzing nervousness around girls flares up when he hears of the event; he'd rather stay at the farm and hide, but this Saturday his grandmother would have celebrated her forty-fifth wedding anniversary, were her husband alive. How can the boy abandon her today? Yet Alida sees the dance as an opportunity to introduce her maladjusted grandson to a world that might love him if he gave it a chance, to step out into the strange joys of adolescence and feel something besides trauma and disappointment. Looking back many years later, was his grandmother the most important figure of his youth? The final chapters of this book show us why that may be so.
Alida's wise insights are drawn from a life of honest work and tender concern for her grandson, who is slipping through the cracks of the world's system. What can be expected of an antisocial kid who does poorly in school and has almost no family support? Alida refuses to let him embrace nihilism, but how can she redirect his path? The scene at the Saturday dance when she selects him as her dance partner is a study in subtle benevolence. To the boy, introducing himself to a girl his age seems as impossible as flapping his arms and flying, so Alida asks him to be her first dance of the night. They've practiced at the farm, and as he demonstrates gentle, good-humored treatment of his grandmother, the teen girls at the party notice: they'd like some of his adoring attention, too. The invisible wall erected by his own awkwardness disappears. Now the girls covet a few minutes of his time for a dance, some shy conversation, maybe even a date later on. Alida's simple, sweet gift will color the rest of his life. No wonder the summer before high school looms large in his memory.
In some ways, Alida's Song functions as a sequel to The Cookcamp. It references the boy's summer with her almost a decade ago, but in this book he had spent several years with Alida, not just one summer. In The Cookcamp—at least, the edition I read—his grandmother's name is apparently Anita, not Alida. Sequel or no, Alida's Song obviously has emotional resonance for Gary Paulsen, and will ring true for any reader who has had a loving, self-sacrificing person in their life. I rate this book at least two and a half stars, and probably the full three. It's not as thematically varied as The Cookcamp, and the narrative isn't as mesmerizing, but these pages bolster the heart like a loved one's hug. When Gary Paulsen writes about profound feelings, I listen.
The boy spent early childhood at his grandmother's cookcamp in Minnesota, where she was paid to prepare food for workers who built roads. Alida was more a mother than his own mother, a tough, generous woman who kept the little boy supplied with useful work to do so he didn't get into trouble. That's what he needs now: a firm hand to steer him clear of gang wars and alcoholism. Alida works at the Nelson farm with a pair of unmarried brothers named Gunnar and Olaf. Would the boy accept a summer job there as a farmhand for three dollars a day? He has no friends in his hometown, is too shy to speak to any girl, and three dollars is decent pay, so he agrees to his grandmother's request. Soon he's back in rural Minnesota, face to face with a woman who defined many of the few pleasant moments in his childhood. Alida's hug is like coming home from a particularly bleak exile.
Mornings at the Nelson farm start before dawn, but the boy knows how to work hard for his money. There are cows to milk, which requires a steady, soothing hand; painstaking weeding to do in long rows of corn; and sundry chores that come up constantly around the farm. The boy has to fend off geese when he goes to use the outhouse; the first time, several of the birds assault and nearly concuss him, but he learns to hit back and earn their grudging respect. The Nelson farm is nothing like Chicago (where he used to live), or the apartment he just came from, but the boy's life is all about adapting. At least here he has Alida, who has one more surprise before summer ends. The first Saturday of every month is the town dance, where farmers and families feast and make merry. The boy's paralyzing nervousness around girls flares up when he hears of the event; he'd rather stay at the farm and hide, but this Saturday his grandmother would have celebrated her forty-fifth wedding anniversary, were her husband alive. How can the boy abandon her today? Yet Alida sees the dance as an opportunity to introduce her maladjusted grandson to a world that might love him if he gave it a chance, to step out into the strange joys of adolescence and feel something besides trauma and disappointment. Looking back many years later, was his grandmother the most important figure of his youth? The final chapters of this book show us why that may be so.
Alida's wise insights are drawn from a life of honest work and tender concern for her grandson, who is slipping through the cracks of the world's system. What can be expected of an antisocial kid who does poorly in school and has almost no family support? Alida refuses to let him embrace nihilism, but how can she redirect his path? The scene at the Saturday dance when she selects him as her dance partner is a study in subtle benevolence. To the boy, introducing himself to a girl his age seems as impossible as flapping his arms and flying, so Alida asks him to be her first dance of the night. They've practiced at the farm, and as he demonstrates gentle, good-humored treatment of his grandmother, the teen girls at the party notice: they'd like some of his adoring attention, too. The invisible wall erected by his own awkwardness disappears. Now the girls covet a few minutes of his time for a dance, some shy conversation, maybe even a date later on. Alida's simple, sweet gift will color the rest of his life. No wonder the summer before high school looms large in his memory.
In some ways, Alida's Song functions as a sequel to The Cookcamp. It references the boy's summer with her almost a decade ago, but in this book he had spent several years with Alida, not just one summer. In The Cookcamp—at least, the edition I read—his grandmother's name is apparently Anita, not Alida. Sequel or no, Alida's Song obviously has emotional resonance for Gary Paulsen, and will ring true for any reader who has had a loving, self-sacrificing person in their life. I rate this book at least two and a half stars, and probably the full three. It's not as thematically varied as The Cookcamp, and the narrative isn't as mesmerizing, but these pages bolster the heart like a loved one's hug. When Gary Paulsen writes about profound feelings, I listen.
June 3, 2019
Novella, series of short stories, book 3
This was a heartfelt, honest, story of family, of learning to live and be loved by an adult figure. A young man that has to make it on his own, and finally being fed and nurtured by his grandmother and the farmers she cooks for. Learning the values of home life, of living and being freed from the hardscrabble life where he was neglected and second thought, if at all by the adults who should have cared for him. Granted, this was a different time, not our touchy feely present, but a real 'picture' of life as it should be with adults who cared. The trip in the car and the dance, the geese, the food, the chores, it was all a beautiful portrait of 'life'. Perfect quick read for me. I will be looking for the other books in this series.
This was a heartfelt, honest, story of family, of learning to live and be loved by an adult figure. A young man that has to make it on his own, and finally being fed and nurtured by his grandmother and the farmers she cooks for. Learning the values of home life, of living and being freed from the hardscrabble life where he was neglected and second thought, if at all by the adults who should have cared for him. Granted, this was a different time, not our touchy feely present, but a real 'picture' of life as it should be with adults who cared. The trip in the car and the dance, the geese, the food, the chores, it was all a beautiful portrait of 'life'. Perfect quick read for me. I will be looking for the other books in this series.
May 12, 2017
I found this book to be interesting this story is basically talking about a boy who's really shy and his mom and dad hate him,but the person who loves him is his grandma who basically raised him through all of his years.The boy didn’t love the life he had he had to work day and night he had no friends where he lived,he would get abused and yelled at by his parents,but there was a shop he would go to get nice hot rolls from a nice old lady who he loved very much but all that was going to change for him for his grandma had decided to have him come work on a farm with a few fellows she lived on the farm with.He got there and worked with them and they providing really delicious food for all of them and even the boy would eat a lot then they would go to sleep and the same thing over and over again they would work eat work and eat until one day the boy a couple of rocks and he saw them and asked what they were and when they told him he was surprised.They told him it was a statue that was broken down and it was his aunt Alida and it was her anniversary today the boy didn't it was her anniversary until they told him and that they were going to throw a party somewhere near them.The boy didn’t want to go because he had no friends here or didn’t want to talk to no one because he was shy,but the grandma got him to change his mind and she bought him some clothes to help him fit in the boy liked it,but when he got there he felt out of the picture because people were wearing different types of clothes and his was wearing something,but he just kept on walking and people were looking at him and so were the girls he fell in a love with a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair and he tried to talk to her but she just laughed and the boy just walked away then a few hours later the grandma asked the boy to dance he didn’t want to but he didn’t want to upset her grandma so he did.He was pretty good at dancing everyone was looking at him and they were amazed and even the girls they all came around him and laughed and it made the other boys jealous and then the boy grew up not being shy and had a family and joined the army.This book reminds me of myself i was once a shy person but then people started talking to me and I hanged around a lot of people then I wasn’t so shy anymore I made new friends as I grew up but this book is very emotional and is great for anyone to read in my opinion this book was amazing great for people like this boy to read I very recommend this book because it will help you we all saw what happened to the boy it can happen to you to this is what I say about the book.
May 19, 2023
This story and its companion read "The Quilt" are believed to be autobiographical accounts of Paulsen's experiences on the farm with his kind-hearted grandma during a few select summers of his life. As other reviewers have noted, Paulsen never gives himself a name in these stories, he is just always referred to as "the boy". I suspect the namelessness represents the insignificance the author felt as he was growing up with his parents, who were alcoholics.
This story begins with Paulsen returning to his grandma's farm for a visit when he is an adult, after spending a few years in the Army. Immediately we are drawn into a memory of his when he was 14 and was hired by his grandma to help on the farm for the summer. Paulsen's memories flick back and forth to his summer at the farm and his miserable life in the city with his parents which brings with it the recognition that his grandma and the farm are what saved him from barreling down the same road that his parents were on.
His memories of this particular summer on the farm are fond ones as he recalls the long hours of work, learning to dance and breaking free of his shy teen self during this visit. A sweet, coming of age tale that warms your heart.
This story begins with Paulsen returning to his grandma's farm for a visit when he is an adult, after spending a few years in the Army. Immediately we are drawn into a memory of his when he was 14 and was hired by his grandma to help on the farm for the summer. Paulsen's memories flick back and forth to his summer at the farm and his miserable life in the city with his parents which brings with it the recognition that his grandma and the farm are what saved him from barreling down the same road that his parents were on.
His memories of this particular summer on the farm are fond ones as he recalls the long hours of work, learning to dance and breaking free of his shy teen self during this visit. A sweet, coming of age tale that warms your heart.
November 10, 2017
Well, better than the previous book. Paulsen's lush descriptions of immigrant Canadian farm life in the 50s are on point, but the ending is somewhat abrupt and all the exposition comes in the form of a sudden flash-forward and a revealing box of letters.
This is not a book so much as it is a short story, a novella at best if you want to read very very slowly and give it wiggle room. It took me about half an hour to get through (during work breaks). I could have done with some more place-building, as I am not exactly familiar with life in Chicago in the 50s and the nameless "boy" has so little in common with my own experience I found some details jarring because I didn't know where or when the hell I'm supposed to be imagining myself.
Solid 3 stars, I guess.
This is not a book so much as it is a short story, a novella at best if you want to read very very slowly and give it wiggle room. It took me about half an hour to get through (during work breaks). I could have done with some more place-building, as I am not exactly familiar with life in Chicago in the 50s and the nameless "boy" has so little in common with my own experience I found some details jarring because I didn't know where or when the hell I'm supposed to be imagining myself.
Solid 3 stars, I guess.
May 31, 2018
The boy (who we first met in The Cookcamp) is growing up. Now a teen, his grandmother sends for him to spend the summer working on the small dairy farm where she's a cook. Selling newspapers and scrimping pennies. Early mornings and milking by hand. Checking for mustard and a forenoon meal. Norwegian songs and parlor games. Potato sausage and Saturdays at the dance hall.
Largely autobiographical, set in Minneapolis in the 1950's. Amazing how many odd jobs a boy can find to scrape together a little money. The first part establishes the boy's hard-knock life, with alcoholic parents. But his summer on the farm with Gunnar, Olaf, and Alida (his grandmother) changes the whole direction of his life. It's a beautiful, generous, nostalgic tribute to a different time.
Largely autobiographical, set in Minneapolis in the 1950's. Amazing how many odd jobs a boy can find to scrape together a little money. The first part establishes the boy's hard-knock life, with alcoholic parents. But his summer on the farm with Gunnar, Olaf, and Alida (his grandmother) changes the whole direction of his life. It's a beautiful, generous, nostalgic tribute to a different time.
March 11, 2022
I have now read two novellas of Gary Paulsen’s series about Alida. I will simply say that once again this author’s incredible tale,that is based on his grandmother’s impact on his life, touched my heart. The young teenager in this story is mostly raising himself in Chicago due to the alcoholic stupor of his parents. His grandmother, knowing of his daily struggles, offer him a summer filled with hard work, love and respect. Along with Olaf and Gunnar, Alida helps a young boy begin the process of becoming a man. It is a fabulous classroom read aloud and enables the reader a glimpse into another time and how families help shape each of us.
September 15, 2025
Alida’s Song is a short but sweet story about how drastically one person can change another’s life for the better, if only they are willing to see the problem and be a part of the solution. Paulsen’s story is filled with vivid descriptions of landscape and food that give this story a very “homey” feel, which makes it all the better to read, because it really is a story about giving a young man in bad circumstances a home worth living in. This simple story about a grandmother’s love will not capture all readers, but older YA readers who can look back on troubled childhoods will appreciate its story of change and growth.
April 20, 2021
Now a young and somewhat troubled teen, a boy discovers his grandmother found him a job on a farm working for Gunnar and Olaf. She serves as the men's private cook. The boy's home life leaves much to be desired with two alcoholic parents who show no interest in him. The boy spends all his time working, has no time to study, and passes to the next grade only "because they don't want to keep him around another year." Years later the boy discovers the truth about that summer job which endears his grandmother to him all the more.
June 28, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is mostly a sweet and touching story; although for me the beginning was difficult to conceive of knowing it is based on the author's own life experiences. It is written in such a way that I could actually picture the scenes depicted by words. I recommend this book, and the others in this trilogy, to readers of all ages.
April 13, 2018
I was skeptical that an 88 page "novel" with enormous type and large line spaces could be any good, but I have to say that the simplicity of this novel made it beautiful. Yes, I read it in an hour and it was hardly a novel, but a beautiful simple and sweet story that I would recommend to most anyone.
October 27, 2022
Once again the boy goes to stay with his grandmother for a summer. This time he is fourteen and she arranges for him to work on the farm where she cooks for two bachelor farmers. Although the story itself is slight and short, the message is not — this is a book about love, especially that of a grandmother for her grandson.
August 2, 2025
A short but very sweet tribute to his grandmother, but also a positive experience as the boy comes of age one summer he spent with two old farmers and his grandmother who cooked for them. I believe this was based on Paulsen's own life and memories. Very good, geared toward the younger set but good for anyone.
November 15, 2018
I had no idea there were two more books after “The Cookcamp”, which is a book I’ve ready many times. This is a touching story of a boy and the grandmother who saved him from following ok his parents’ s footsteps.
Great book.
Great book.
September 19, 2019
Paulsen's writing style is very basic like his other works, so I expected that.
I rated it at 3 stars because I liked it for the most part but I thought there was a lot of content that was pretty deep for kids. Be prepared for possible awkward questions.
I rated it at 3 stars because I liked it for the most part but I thought there was a lot of content that was pretty deep for kids. Be prepared for possible awkward questions.
August 8, 2025
Still pretty plain. I really loved the two Norwegian men who worked on the farm but also… when one of them revealed that he had been carving women on trees and rocks in the backwoods, I had major doubts.
Also probably not something I would just hand my middle-schooler to read.
Also probably not something I would just hand my middle-schooler to read.
December 1, 2025
Enjoyed this book! The characters were enjoyable- I laughed so hard at some points while reading- and could close my eyes and literally see the characters in the story. Great book! I have another one to read of his and looking forward to it!
December 1, 2017
I did not like this book because it was not good. I also didn't like it because it made no scene to me.
February 12, 2019
Starts great
A nice detailed pace and then suddenly ends in a too quick summary Interesting characters I’d like to know more about.
A nice detailed pace and then suddenly ends in a too quick summary Interesting characters I’d like to know more about.
February 12, 2019
I loved this; realism at its finest. What a wonderful tribute to Alida.
February 17, 2019
A teenager spends the summer working on a farm and learns life lessons from his grandmother and two elderly farmers. The story has an overall serious mood, lightened by touches of humor.
May 10, 2019
This is The Good Life: Peace and quiet; filled with love and kindness, good food and good conversation and song!
A grandmother's love can more than compensate for the difficult life of a young man.
A grandmother's love can more than compensate for the difficult life of a young man.
June 19, 2019
Another lovely book by one of my and my daughter’s current favorite authors. She is asking to read the next in the series.
July 24, 2019
I believe I liked Cookcamp a little better.
January 30, 2020
Beautiful...just beautiful. 😊
June 3, 2021
Really quick, good read. The last few pages make it all worth it.
June 6, 2021
Loved almost as much as The Cookcamp 💕
February 23, 2022
A quiet, generous book. In less than a hundred pages, Paulson paints a vivid picture of life on a farm before large machinery. It’s more a memory than a novel, but it’s a beautiful memory.
November 29, 2022
Such a lovely book. A nice follow-up to The Cookcamp. Looking forward to The Quilt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews