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26 Fairmount Avenue #5
Things Will Never Be the Same
Tomie has his own diary with a lock and a key&150now he can write down all his secrets and no one will be able to read them. All through the year, exciting things happen and Tomie writes about them in his diary. Sledding down the steep hill on his new Junior Flexible Flyer, being a pirate in the dance recital, and starting second grade with real art lessons at last! Then one Sunday morning Tomie's family hears news on the radio that changes everything. Master storyteller Tomie dePaola takes us back to 1941 and lets us experience what life was like growing up in the dePaola household.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
6 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Tomie dePaola
443 books902 followersTomie dePaola (pronounced Tommy da-POW-la) was best known for his books for children.
He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.
Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.
He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.
Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
November 18, 2023
I loved dePaola's simple, emotional portrayal of this year in his life, his childhood hopes and dreams, and the complexities of hearing the US was entering WWII. I was the same age as he was when 9/11 happened and it brought back memories of how I felt at that time.
January 8, 2010
These stories continue to be really appealing, but the introduction of the larger historical picture with the start of World War II promises to make them even more fascinating.
September 7, 2021
Another great one by a master story teller. I love how special Tomie’s family was to him. I was so surprised to see so much of The Art Lesson (picture book) relayed here too. Tomie’s enthusiasm and anticipation is inspiring.
March 12, 2010
This book is somewhat different from the first four in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series. At the end of the previous book, Young Tomie received a new diary for Christmas, and a fair amount of the writing in this volume is done in the form of Tomie's realistically pencil illustrated diary entries from the year 1941.
As with its predecessors, Things Will Never Be the Same is positively brimming with the beautiful charm of Young Tomie's 1930s-40s childhood. The freshness of his perspective about his world in general is fantastic and original, as much fun as riding a roller coaster (like little Tomie does in the book, at Savin Rock amusement park!). Then again, what else would one expect from a seven-year-old with Young Tomie's quirky and artistic mindset? At times, this book really made me wish that I were seven years old in 1941, living on Tomie's street as a neighbor of his and experiencing with him the things that he experienced first hand. I think that this sort of longing is the sign of an extraordinary book.
Things Will Never Be the Same takes us all the way through the year 1941 in Young Tomie's life, though moving much more rapidly than the previous installments in the series. Tomie continues to grow into an amazing child artist, and his affection for all things Shirley Temple and Disney never fades, though it does begin to broaden just a bit. Tomie's new favorite actors are Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, and the theatrical release of Walt Disney's third full-length animated masterpiece Fantasia gives him an entirely new perspective on cinematic excellence.
This book is the first in the subsection of the 26 Fairmount Avenue series labeled The War Years. As Christmas of 1941 approaches, the Japanese attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor shatters the peace of our nation and of Tomie's world, greatly distressing the grownups in Young Tomie's life and changing the way that everyone views the war situation overseas. Even though Tomie might not know what a "fleet" is, he certainly does know what it means that thousands of American militia members have been killed. As Young Tomie's mother tearfully whispers to him at the end of the book, "Things will never be the same!" I suppose they never were.
In my view, this is the second best book of the series to this point, behind only On My Way. Little Tomie's charm sparkles in rare form, and the subtle emotion of his response to the Pearl Harbor attack is heartfelt, captured to stunning perfection in the subdued illustrations of the moment that author Tomie dePaola has created for this book. Those drawings, one facing the final page and the other on the title page, just really say it all. I would give two and a half stars to Things Will Never Be the Same.
As with its predecessors, Things Will Never Be the Same is positively brimming with the beautiful charm of Young Tomie's 1930s-40s childhood. The freshness of his perspective about his world in general is fantastic and original, as much fun as riding a roller coaster (like little Tomie does in the book, at Savin Rock amusement park!). Then again, what else would one expect from a seven-year-old with Young Tomie's quirky and artistic mindset? At times, this book really made me wish that I were seven years old in 1941, living on Tomie's street as a neighbor of his and experiencing with him the things that he experienced first hand. I think that this sort of longing is the sign of an extraordinary book.
Things Will Never Be the Same takes us all the way through the year 1941 in Young Tomie's life, though moving much more rapidly than the previous installments in the series. Tomie continues to grow into an amazing child artist, and his affection for all things Shirley Temple and Disney never fades, though it does begin to broaden just a bit. Tomie's new favorite actors are Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, and the theatrical release of Walt Disney's third full-length animated masterpiece Fantasia gives him an entirely new perspective on cinematic excellence.
This book is the first in the subsection of the 26 Fairmount Avenue series labeled The War Years. As Christmas of 1941 approaches, the Japanese attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor shatters the peace of our nation and of Tomie's world, greatly distressing the grownups in Young Tomie's life and changing the way that everyone views the war situation overseas. Even though Tomie might not know what a "fleet" is, he certainly does know what it means that thousands of American militia members have been killed. As Young Tomie's mother tearfully whispers to him at the end of the book, "Things will never be the same!" I suppose they never were.
In my view, this is the second best book of the series to this point, behind only On My Way. Little Tomie's charm sparkles in rare form, and the subtle emotion of his response to the Pearl Harbor attack is heartfelt, captured to stunning perfection in the subdued illustrations of the moment that author Tomie dePaola has created for this book. Those drawings, one facing the final page and the other on the title page, just really say it all. I would give two and a half stars to Things Will Never Be the Same.
October 31, 2011
I've wondered if Tomie dePaola kept a diary as a young boy and that's how he could remember so many details from so early in his life. Now I know that he did keep a diary, although he started after he received a diary for Christmas of his first grade year. What's great is that we get to read some of those diary entries here in Things Will Never Be the Same. Too fun!
I continue to love young Tomie! I had to look up what Y.B.F.I.T.W. means. I thought I must have missed it somewhere in the story, but on Tomie dePaola's blog, he explains that it stands for "Your Best Friend in the World." Then I found out I just wasn't being patient enough! He explains what it means in the diary entry in chapter 7.
I love his descriptions of the differences between his two sets of grandparents because I remember how important my grandparents were to me at that age and how interesting the differences between the two were.
Young Tomie brings back so many memories from my childhood, such as throwing up after eating too many hot dogs, being car sick on trips, riding on a scary ride and eating cotton candy at an amusement park. I never took dancing lessons or danced in a recital, but I did take piano lessons and survived several piano recitals.
I love the expanded version of the story from The Art Lesson!
The title for this book comes from Tomie's mom as she is reacting to the announcement of the events of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
I continue to love young Tomie! I had to look up what Y.B.F.I.T.W. means. I thought I must have missed it somewhere in the story, but on Tomie dePaola's blog, he explains that it stands for "Your Best Friend in the World." Then I found out I just wasn't being patient enough! He explains what it means in the diary entry in chapter 7.
I love his descriptions of the differences between his two sets of grandparents because I remember how important my grandparents were to me at that age and how interesting the differences between the two were.
Young Tomie brings back so many memories from my childhood, such as throwing up after eating too many hot dogs, being car sick on trips, riding on a scary ride and eating cotton candy at an amusement park. I never took dancing lessons or danced in a recital, but I did take piano lessons and survived several piano recitals.
I love the expanded version of the story from The Art Lesson!
The title for this book comes from Tomie's mom as she is reacting to the announcement of the events of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
January 30, 2016
My daughter really likes this series but enjoyed this book in particular.
February 4, 2013
Last year, Tomie dePaola won The Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award and his extensive interview with Lee Wind on the SCBWI blog reminded me that I still haven't read Tomie's books about his home front experiences during World War II. He wrote about them in the last four of the eight books that make up his 26 Fairmount Avenue series, subtitled The War Years.
In Book 5, Things Will Never Be the Same, begins in January 1941, first-grader Tomie had just received his two best Christmas presents - a Junior Flexible Flyer sled and a diary with a lock and key, and so Book 5 begins with his very first diary entry. With all the charm, honesty and bluntness of a very precocious and artistic 6 year old, Tomie takes us through the year 1941, diary entry by diary entry. Each chapter begins with a short diary entry and the rest of the chapter goes into more depth everything that was going on at the time. And 1941 is an exciting year for Tomie. Through his diary, Tomie presents a wonderful picture of what life was life in that year preceding America's entry into the war. Things he writes about include the day to day family life of the dePaola family, and the world of a first grader, for example, learning about President Roosevelt and the March of Dimes, and not being able to swim in the summer because of a Polio scare; the excitement over seeing Disney's Fantasia in the theater, his disappointment over who is second grade teacher is, about his tap dancing lessons which he loves, and of course all the holidays over the course of the year. But all this changes on December 7, 1941. As the dePaola's listen, along with the whole country, to the radio announcer talking about the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tomie's mother says to her family, "Things will never be the same."
Unlike Things Will Never Be the Same, which covers a whole year, Book 6, I'm Still Scared, diary entries only cover one month, December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1941, but is is a powerful month for second grader Tomie. Not quite understanding what has happened and the implications of war, Tomie is a scared little boy and to make matters worse, no one really wants to explain what's going on to him. Luckily for him, after listening to Roosevelt's speech on the radio, the family go to visit Tomie's grandparents and his grandfather, Tom, takes some time he talk to him about his fears. But life had indeed changed. At school, there were air raid drills, and at home, an air raid shelter had to be created in the basement just in case. And Tomie had to contend with being called the ENEMY because of his Italian heritage. War was everywhere. Even at the movies showing a children's feature, the newsreels showed London in the Blitz, and Tomie realized it was the first time he had seen what war was like. At the end of December, young Tomie is still scared.
Book 7, Why?, begins on January 1, 1942 and runs until April 29, 1942. In his new diary, Tomie gives more details of his day to day life. He writes about his excitement about being able to stay up late for New Year's Eve, of going to help in his grandfather's grocery store, and of his first surprise air raid drill at school. But his real trouble comes when his teacher starts teaching the kids to write in cursive and refused to allow Tomie, a lefty, to hold the pen in a way that worked for him. And Tomie talks more about his older brother Buddy and how angry/annoyed Buddy gets with him. But perhaps saddest of all are the entries about his cousin Anthony A/K/A Blackie. Blackie was a favorite cousin who had joined the Army Air Corps. Tomie seemed able to adjust to everything involving the war - like rationing and air raid drills - but the news of Blackie's death is just incomprehensible to him. In the end, he is left asking himself Why?
Book 8, For the Duration, is the final book in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series and begins on May 1, 1942 and runs through... Well, that's hard to say. It seems that early on, Tomie's diary key disappeared. While there are not more diary entries, Tomie still talks about his life and in 1942, patriotism is in full swing. At school, Tomie gets very sad and runs out of the room when the class starts singing the Army Air Corps anthem. At dancing school. there is a lot so rehearsing for a wonderful recital, but there are also bullies in the schoolyard who take his new tap shoes and start tossing them around. And there are victory gardens and ration books and helping again in his grandfather's grocery. Things between Tomie and his brother Buddy get worse and in the end, it is Buddy who has taken the diary key. But one thing Tomie learns to understand completely is that some things disappear (chewing gum, fireworks) and other thing come into being (war bonds, war stamps), all "for the duration."
The 26 Fairmount Avenue series is an extraordinary group of chapter books recalling Tomie dePaola's early life living in Meridan, Connecticut. For the most part, they are a series of vignettes told in great detail and include whimsical illustrations by Tomie thoughout the books. Much of what Tomie writes is funny, charming, sad and so typical of kids that age. Though I haven't reviewed for first four books here, I would really recommend the whole series to anyone who is a Tomie dePaola fan. My only gripe is that we are left hanging about Buddy and the diary key.
These books are recommended for readers age 7+
Things Will Never Be the Same was borrowed from the Children's Center of the NYPL
I'm Still Scared was borrowed from the Yorkville Branch of the NYPL
Why? was borrowed from the Morningside Heights Branch of the NYPL
For the Duration was borrowed from the Bank Street College of Education Library
In Book 5, Things Will Never Be the Same, begins in January 1941, first-grader Tomie had just received his two best Christmas presents - a Junior Flexible Flyer sled and a diary with a lock and key, and so Book 5 begins with his very first diary entry. With all the charm, honesty and bluntness of a very precocious and artistic 6 year old, Tomie takes us through the year 1941, diary entry by diary entry. Each chapter begins with a short diary entry and the rest of the chapter goes into more depth everything that was going on at the time. And 1941 is an exciting year for Tomie. Through his diary, Tomie presents a wonderful picture of what life was life in that year preceding America's entry into the war. Things he writes about include the day to day family life of the dePaola family, and the world of a first grader, for example, learning about President Roosevelt and the March of Dimes, and not being able to swim in the summer because of a Polio scare; the excitement over seeing Disney's Fantasia in the theater, his disappointment over who is second grade teacher is, about his tap dancing lessons which he loves, and of course all the holidays over the course of the year. But all this changes on December 7, 1941. As the dePaola's listen, along with the whole country, to the radio announcer talking about the attack on Pearl Harbor, Tomie's mother says to her family, "Things will never be the same."
Unlike Things Will Never Be the Same, which covers a whole year, Book 6, I'm Still Scared, diary entries only cover one month, December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1941, but is is a powerful month for second grader Tomie. Not quite understanding what has happened and the implications of war, Tomie is a scared little boy and to make matters worse, no one really wants to explain what's going on to him. Luckily for him, after listening to Roosevelt's speech on the radio, the family go to visit Tomie's grandparents and his grandfather, Tom, takes some time he talk to him about his fears. But life had indeed changed. At school, there were air raid drills, and at home, an air raid shelter had to be created in the basement just in case. And Tomie had to contend with being called the ENEMY because of his Italian heritage. War was everywhere. Even at the movies showing a children's feature, the newsreels showed London in the Blitz, and Tomie realized it was the first time he had seen what war was like. At the end of December, young Tomie is still scared.
Book 7, Why?, begins on January 1, 1942 and runs until April 29, 1942. In his new diary, Tomie gives more details of his day to day life. He writes about his excitement about being able to stay up late for New Year's Eve, of going to help in his grandfather's grocery store, and of his first surprise air raid drill at school. But his real trouble comes when his teacher starts teaching the kids to write in cursive and refused to allow Tomie, a lefty, to hold the pen in a way that worked for him. And Tomie talks more about his older brother Buddy and how angry/annoyed Buddy gets with him. But perhaps saddest of all are the entries about his cousin Anthony A/K/A Blackie. Blackie was a favorite cousin who had joined the Army Air Corps. Tomie seemed able to adjust to everything involving the war - like rationing and air raid drills - but the news of Blackie's death is just incomprehensible to him. In the end, he is left asking himself Why?
Book 8, For the Duration, is the final book in the 26 Fairmount Avenue series and begins on May 1, 1942 and runs through... Well, that's hard to say. It seems that early on, Tomie's diary key disappeared. While there are not more diary entries, Tomie still talks about his life and in 1942, patriotism is in full swing. At school, Tomie gets very sad and runs out of the room when the class starts singing the Army Air Corps anthem. At dancing school. there is a lot so rehearsing for a wonderful recital, but there are also bullies in the schoolyard who take his new tap shoes and start tossing them around. And there are victory gardens and ration books and helping again in his grandfather's grocery. Things between Tomie and his brother Buddy get worse and in the end, it is Buddy who has taken the diary key. But one thing Tomie learns to understand completely is that some things disappear (chewing gum, fireworks) and other thing come into being (war bonds, war stamps), all "for the duration."
The 26 Fairmount Avenue series is an extraordinary group of chapter books recalling Tomie dePaola's early life living in Meridan, Connecticut. For the most part, they are a series of vignettes told in great detail and include whimsical illustrations by Tomie thoughout the books. Much of what Tomie writes is funny, charming, sad and so typical of kids that age. Though I haven't reviewed for first four books here, I would really recommend the whole series to anyone who is a Tomie dePaola fan. My only gripe is that we are left hanging about Buddy and the diary key.
These books are recommended for readers age 7+
Things Will Never Be the Same was borrowed from the Children's Center of the NYPL
I'm Still Scared was borrowed from the Yorkville Branch of the NYPL
Why? was borrowed from the Morningside Heights Branch of the NYPL
For the Duration was borrowed from the Bank Street College of Education Library
November 2, 2020
Continuing with the contemporary releases of Disney movies (Fantasia in this one, and I love his descriptions of the movie-going experiences), as well as his library travails (Tomie can only check out ONE book from the FIRST GRADE section -- a cautionary tale of restrictive library services), this episode in little Tomie dePaola's life features his new diary and runs right up to Pearl Harbor.
I was struck again by how similar in tone this is to books like Little House on the Prairie, Betsy-Tacy, and All-of-a-Kind Family. Capturing a moment in history through a child's eyes, dePaola manages to portray the everyday experiences of early elementary school (family dinners, sledding, dance classes, siblings) punctuated by world events.
I was struck again by how similar in tone this is to books like Little House on the Prairie, Betsy-Tacy, and All-of-a-Kind Family. Capturing a moment in history through a child's eyes, dePaola manages to portray the everyday experiences of early elementary school (family dinners, sledding, dance classes, siblings) punctuated by world events.
August 15, 2023
In the fifth entry in the 26 Fairmont Avenue series, Tomie tells about the year leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the United States finally entered WWII. I'm enjoying this series very much. It's historical juvenile fiction that depicts life in the great depression very well. This book is somewhat different from the others in that it is told through first-person narrative and diary entries which I found interesting. Always filled with dePaola's unique brand of illustrations, this book is a fascinating read. Too bad that some of the books in the series are no longer in print. My rating - 4/5
June 1, 2017
The beginning of Tomie's second grade year in 1941.
Knowing history as you do, "things will never be the same" because the book ends with the news of Pearl Harbor being bombed and America's entry into WWII.
Knowing history as you do, "things will never be the same" because the book ends with the news of Pearl Harbor being bombed and America's entry into WWII.
February 7, 2018
A cute story about a little boy's everyday life until Pearl Harbor. A good way to start a discussion with children about what they can and can not control in their lives. It also good for having students connect with bad things that happen and how they can change their lives.
August 10, 2023
Very readable for grades 2-4. Reads like historical fiction even though it is autobiographical. Ended with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, so it felt incomplete. Hopefully the next book in the series picks up where this one leaves off.
October 18, 2019
Tomie writes a lot in his diary in this book, engaging us with tales about his family, outings, and school. But he left me with a cliffhanger about the war😱
Now I NEED to pick up the next book🏃♀️
Now I NEED to pick up the next book🏃♀️
August 17, 2020
Another delightful story in the series, though warning it ends with Pearl harbor news.
December 8, 2022
We love Tomie Depaolavs recounts of his childhood! Short and sweet for young listeners.
October 16, 2023
Good, but def a downer ending. Not quite what I was hoping for when I chose to read this one. Such is life.
October 2, 2024
I love this autobiography series for children written by Tomie dePaola. This book takes place just before the United States enters WWII. I love reading about his family dynamics and everyday life.
January 21, 2025
I want to live in this little world. He makes it so charming and blissful! Ending was very stirring.
December 19, 2016
Things Will Never Be the Same is largely a book like all the others, filled with the day-to-day events of Tomie’s life, and lots of reminders about teachers who refuse to spell his name as anything other than Tommy. Tomie now keeps a diary, so some stretches of the story are told in diary entries, written in cursive and illustrated with small line drawings. Tomie is now in second grade, and his adventures include going sledding with a new Junior Flexible Flyer and going to see Disney’s Fantasia. At the end of the book, though, the attack on Pearl Harbor occurs, and the series takes a turn for the serious.
October 31, 2010
Reminiscing about sledding and family gatherings, makes this book another light, happy read. Tomie reports about being a pirate in his dance recital and of watching Disney's 'Fantasia' at the movie theater. Like all his books, there is happiness and childhood innocence. As pastina with butter is comfort food, de Paola's books are comfort reads. Sadly, Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor ends this book. Through tears, Tomie's mother aptly states, "Things will never be the same"! Her words prove to be true.
January 31, 2012
A fabulous look at the innocence of America leading up to World War II. Only in the last chapter is the simplicity of little Tomie's life disrupted when Pearl Harbor is attacked and the United States enters the war. I'm looking forward to sharing the next three books in DePaola's War Years series with my children as we study WWII.
April 3, 2015
I love how these books are a little snapshot in time. I loved his tale about "real" art class. His teacher only gave them one crayon and one piece of paper. He brought his own box of crayons and the regular teacher wouldn't let him use them. But the art teacher did.
June 3, 2013
5th in a series that we are loving.
As the title hints, the end of this book is Dec. 7, 1941 - Pearl Harbor. The remaining three books in the series chronicle his childhood during the war years. We haven't decided if we are going to read those yet as the drama will no doubt increase!!
As the title hints, the end of this book is Dec. 7, 1941 - Pearl Harbor. The remaining three books in the series chronicle his childhood during the war years. We haven't decided if we are going to read those yet as the drama will no doubt increase!!
October 2, 2011
Great read for young elementary kids. Also, a great for an adult who sorely misses reading to young children. I love Tomie DePaloa.
June 13, 2015
Will recommend to my seven year old son.
November 16, 2015
Anthony and Lila love this series. We'll keep reading them all and see how it is through the war years. I love the little bit of history lesson through the eyes of a six year old.
March 28, 2016
Tomie is my favorite children's author.
This book had me crying by the end.
This book had me crying by the end.
September 27, 2010
Tomie was having a great life and that all changed whene the beginning of world war two started
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April 14, 2016Read this aloud to my 8 year old. All three of my girls have loved this series.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews