Also Known As Harper

by Ann Haywood Leal

Harper Lee Morgan is an aspiring poet, which isn't surprising, seeing as how she's named after her mama's favorite writer, Harper Lee. And life is giving her a lot to write about just now. Daddy up and walked out, leaving them broke. Then Harper's family gets evicted. With Mama scrambling to find work, Harper has to skip school to care for her little brother, Hemingway. Their lives have been turned upside down, which Harper could just about handle―if it wasn't for the writing contest at school. If only she could get up on that stage and read her poems out loud . . .

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Poetry, Family, Childrens, Contemporary

256 pages, Hardcover

First published May 26, 2009

Reviews

[Joe · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I was in middle school, my mom invented a phrase for schmaltz: Hokey Wombat Shit.

If we were watching television and the plot became mushy or sentimental, Mom would groan, "Oh, please. Hokey Wombat Shit!"

If two characters in a movie smooched while strings swelled and onlookers clapped, the film was immediately filed under Hokey Wombat Shit.

If my mom read Also Known As Harper, she would definitely roll her eyes, put it aside, and exclaim, "Hokey Wombat Shit!"

Because that's what it is. In fact, it's the perfect example of the term.

A Brief List of Difficult Subject Matter Tackled in Also Known As Harper

1. Homelessness
2. Alcoholism
3. Miscarriages/Premature births TWICE.
4. Selective mutism
5. Parental abandonment
6. Bullying
7. Economic hardships
8. Death
9. Tent communities



This book is 246 pages long. How can all of these issues possibly be addressed in such a brief length? Easily, actually, if coated in a nice, glossy layer of Hokey Wombat Shit.

Our titular heroine is Harper Lee Morgan. If you rolled your eyes at her literary-inspired name, join the club. It gets worse: her brother's name is Hemingway and her baby sister's name was Flannery.

Harper is a writer. Inside her brain are countless poems and stories, and Harper spends most of her time itching for a pen so she can put her thoughts on paper. These writings of hers will be submitted to the nebulous annual writing competition held at her school. The purpose of this contest is vaguely defined: It seems, in fact, that every child's writing will be eligible and that there's no prize except that everyone is able to read aloud to the school. Big whoop. Harper's obsession with this is complicated when her mother makes her stay home from school to take care of Hemingway. Oh noes! How will she ever submit her poems and stories in time? And furthermore, will we care if she does?

Melodrama ensues!

Leal starts lumping all the Big Issues on top of Harper's unwavering fixation on the writing contest. By the time the "climax" and denouement arrive, little has been resolved, but a gross ton of treacly "solutions" (and more problems!) has arrived. Harper puts on her Big Girl Panties and plunges forward fearlessly, all the way to the pat, smug ending in which everything comes up as rosy as possible for her. It's a gag-worthy ending that will appeal to only those who live for Hokey Wombat Shit.

Me? I'll take grit any day over this pap.

[Dest · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mock Newbery 2010

There were a lot of things I disliked about this, but let's start with the positives: it portrays homelessness in an interesting way, from the family being evicted, to living in a motel, to pitching a tent in the woods, all the while making the best of it and trying to stay together and support each other. It also features one my my favorite books, To Kill a Mockingbird, heavily.

But To Kill a Mockingbird it is not. I thought Harper Lee's voice as a narrator was too flowery. It just didn't sound real. Harper Lee is a poet, and her poems are featured in the book, but honestly there isn't much difference between the language of her poetry and the way she tells the story. Both are full of Southern folksiness that sounds forced; it's like I can see the author trying to be artful, which really bugs me. I also had this problem with Crows and Cards and Return to Sender. I think I'm being extra hard on them because they're Mock Newbery books and I expect better writing.

I imagine this book is so well-received because there are so many serious issues in it: the death of a baby (no, two babies), a girl so traumatized she doesn't speak, an alcoholic father who abandons his already poverty-stricken family, the aforementioned homelessness, an old lady who's been driven a little crazy by grief, kids who can't go to school because they're poor, mothers who labor day after day but can't afford to take care of their kids, families hiding from Child Protective Services to stay together, a stinky bully of a girl named Winnie Rae. I mean, this book has more than its share of injustice in it, but it was not inspirational or fun to read. The ending was unbelievably convenient and depressing at the same time

So, yeah, not a fan.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER is a book I'm excited to share with my middle school students for a few reasons. First, the characters Ann Haywood Leal has created here are some of the most memorable I've met in a long time. Harper, with her book of poems, her larger-than-life heart, and her mixed up feelings about her alcoholic father, has been dealt some rough blows as the novel opens. Her family is close to homeless, her mother keeps her home from school to babysit, and still, she's able to reach out to the kids around her and give them what they need. But what about Harper's needs?

This is a story of resilience, imagination, and the gift of finding your own voice and the people with whom you want to share it. It's heartwarming - and kids who know a thing or two about poverty will find a lot of common ground with Harper.

From a teacher perspective, this book would make a great book club or literature circles selection, too. There's lots to talk about in terms of problem-solving, challenges, and choices. Highly recommended!

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! Love it! Love it! Love it! Love it! Love it!

This is one of those books that surprises you. At first you think you are going to get a story about a family that has just had their lives turned upside down and are struggling to get back on their feet. And I would have been ok with that. Well, more than ok. Harper is such a lovable, believable character that you can't help but want to potect her along with her mom and younger brother.

But what Ms. Leal did that sets this book apart from just another sweet story is that she also exposes the reader to homelessness in the US and how quickly it can come, even when you are trying to play by the rules. Ms. Leal reminds us that behind those families' stories are people trying to hold onto whatever shred of dignity they have as they try to reclaim their lives and provide for their children.

I can't wait to see what Ms. Leal has in store for us with her next book.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those who might think that YA is all fluff, please take some time to read this book.

Dealing with the difficult, tragic subject of homelessness, the author shows keen insight into this travesty.

Told through the eyes of fifth grade Harper, we witness the plight of her mother and her family.

Her father's absence leaves Harper with conflicted emotions, Harper remembers her father before the alcohol became #1 priority in his life, before he grew more and more dependent upon the liquor, before his children had to witness abuse and verbal arrows that stung.

Harper is glad her father left, but now watches as day by day her mother cannot pay the bills and increasingly month by month is late with the rent.

When they are evicted, they have no safety net. As Harper and her family scrabble to salvage some of their possessions from the front yard where they were thrown by the land lady, Harper is faced with the reality that while their items are second hand, they are important to the family, and now, there is no where to place them.

Living in a run down motel provides temporary shelter. When Harper's mother losses one of her two cleaning jobs, they cannot afford the motel.

Harper's mother is strong. Harper's mother is hard working. Harper's mother is not at fault for the homelessness of her family. Harper's mother is not, what some cold, uninformed people would deem "a welfare queen!" -- God, I hate that phrase!!!

Depressing story? Yes. But, truly, such is life for those living on the edge of society.

I know because I volunteered in our local homeless shelter and served on the board of directors for a number of years.

Conservative statistics note 1.6 million children are homeless in the United States. While we watch tv programs asking us to give up our cup of coffee and send the money to India or Africa, please, let us take heed that people in our own back yard need shelter and food.

Politicians on the right and left would like us to believe we are in the "land of plenty." Not true! Not true!!!!

http://www.care2.com/causes/over-one-...

http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/col.......

-------------

Harper has talent; she can write poetry. Harper has dreams; she wants to win the poetry contest at her school.

Harper cannot go to school because she must watch Hemingway, her little brother who obsessively keeps watch for the return of his father, as every night he stands guard waiting for a vehicle to return with the father that he remembers as kind and supportive.

There are wonderful characters in this book. Harper finds and befriends another homeless family.

While her spirit is bruised, it is not crushed and Harper and her family try to make the best of a very difficult situation.

Five Stars. Highly recommended!

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Harper Lee Morgan was named after the author of her mother's favorite book, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. She has grown up hearing her mother read the book aloud - 36 times in fact, if the tally marks on the kitchen wall are accurate.

For a while it's just been Harper, her mother, and her little brother, Hemingway (Hem), at least since her father up and left them. They used to be a happy family. They didn't have a lot, but they loved each other and made do. But after baby Flannery died, things were never quite the same.

Harper loves school and is determined that this year she will participate in the local poetry contest. Writing poetry is like breathing for Harper. She dreams of getting up in front of the crowd and reading her poems into the microphone for all to hear. Just when she thinks this year it will be possible, the landlady throws all their belongings out into the front yard. She says they are way behind in their rent, and she has more reliable tenants waiting in line.

Moving isn't unusual. Since her father left and her mother has been working whatever jobs she can to make ends meet, they've had to do without, but moving into a rundown nearby motel changes everything. Harper has to stay in their room and keep an eye on Hem while her mother looks for work. That means no school and probably no poetry contest.

It seems like the end of the world until Harper gets acquainted with the other folks who live in and around the motel. There's Randall and his sister, Lorraine. Lorraine stopped talking a while back. She may be quiet, but she's awfully nice. Harper is surprised when she learns they don't actually live at the motel, but instead in a make-shift tent community hidden beyond the Knotty Pine Luxury Cabins.

Harper and Hem also become fast friends with Dorothy, a woman in a wheelchair who owns the property around the motel. She is the original Pine of the Knotty Pine Luxury Cabins, and knew them when they were comfy little separate cabins and not a bunch of rundown motel rooms all hooked together.

The life that Harper leads would wear most people down, scraping by with a few changes of clothes, occasional hot showers, and living mostly off of peanut butter sandwiches. However, Harper has always made the best of things, and with the love of her mother and brother and her new friends, she seems to keep her chin up and keep a positive view of the world.

Ann Haywood Leal's novel illustrates the fate of far too many people in today's society. Many families are working hard but never finding a way to get ahead. Harper's determination and creativity help this family carry on through the toughest of times.

[Daniela Trybula · Rating 5 out of 5]

i rate this book a 5 because i think that this book is pretty interesting from the title of the book to the cover of the book.So i think

[Eva Mitnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Harper Lee Morgan, her little brother Hemingway (Hem for short), and their mom are evicted for not paying the rent, they move temporarily to a nearby cheap roadside motel. Because her mom is working extra hours trying to earn enough money to get them out of this fix, Harper Lee is forced to stay out of school to babysit her little brother, a particular onerous situation because this is the week that the entries for the Whaley County Poetry Contest are due at school.

Harper Lee, you see, is a poet. Like her mom, she has a love of the written word and a gift for setting her thoughts down on paper in a way that makes other people take notice, and she feels frantic that she’ll miss her chance. Luckily there is one bright spot in her life, in the form of another homeless girl who lives in an encampment near the motel. Another person Harper Lee meets is Dorothy, an old woman who lives near the motel and helps out the homeless folks nearby. Dorothy is one of those people who make you feel like you’re your best self when you’re with them, and her presence in Harper Lee’s life is pivotal.

Every single person in this book has suffered some kind of injury in the past and still carries a bit of the damage inside, and this is one of the things I like best about it. Whether it’s Harper Lee trying to come to terms with her negative feelings about her mercifully absent dad, her new friend Lorraine’s refusal to talk due to a trauma in her past, or Dorothy’s loss of her family long ago, they all have to make the best of the cards they’ve been dealt. Trying to cope with their own difficulties while helping, not hurting, others seems to be the path to redemption – and even the “bad” characters show a surprising good side now and then, demonstrating the fact that folks are complicated and unpredictable.

The awe and respect everyone, including children, shows Harper Lee’s poems doesn’t feel quite realistic, and neither does the way the children talk – the old-fashioned, folksy feel to their utterances sometimes makes them sound like little, wise, eccentric old ladies from a Southern novel. I’d also expect a lot more despair and resistance from Harper Lee about the situation she has been plunged into – sure, she’s a person who clearly puts the best face on things, but the grimness of moving into an old, abandoned building with no running water or electricity is barely touched on. If Harper Lee thinks going to the bathroom outside is at all awful, we don’t hear about it. Finally, the sudden good fortune that blesses Lorraine’s family, and also Harper Lee’s, is a relief but also way too pat to be believed.

Those quibbles aside, I do think this is a fine book to recommend to readers of realistic fiction in grades 5 to 7.

[Laina SpareTime · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and stuff.

This actually was a little too perfect for me. I realize I'm contradicting myself completely with this blog post, but this seems like it's trying too hard. It's trying to deal with like six different things in less than 250 pages, and none of them really get given the depth they deserve. Everything is resolved a little too easily, and somehow isn't resolved enough at the same time.

The homelessness especially - it's almost a little Boxcar Children and I don't think the author was trying to do that, but it did come off as a little glossed over. And I really wanted to like this one. I loved the idea of a MC who writes poetry, and the connection to Harper Lee, but it's not enough to carry the book through what didn't work for me. I also wish that the setting had been fleshed out more. I think it was in the South, but it was hard to tell where exactly it was set, and also exactly when it was set. There wasn't mentions of computers or cell phonse or anything, so it was hard to nail down a time period.

Lastly, there was also so much fatphobia. Like really nasty fatphobia, in a way that's kind of shocking. Just because you don't like someone doesn't mean it's okay to make jokes about their bodies. And those jokes don't just hurt them, they hurt other people who hear it, and you. I can't imagine being a fat kid and reading this, honestly. So I think I'm going to get rid of this one. I wouldn't reread it.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

While sad, this is a very hopeful book. The character's know how to love and choose to love. Harper Lee is a 5th grader, writer, poet and deep, deep thinker and feeler. After her baby sister dies at birth, her father despairs into a bottle and eventually leaves the family. Harper's mom is then unable to pay the rent and they are evicted from their rental home in a small town. They end up in a community of homeless and Harper and her brother Hemingway develop deep friendship with another sister and brother pair, homeless with single mother.

Great story of love, of overcoming obstacles, of choosing to love rather than to be bitter. Great story of overcoming loss - death of loved ones, loss of home, loss of sense of self, loss of material possessions. Great story of the good in people - buried inside the mean outer shell of bitterness.

Has me wondering about the Early family...

Interesting characters. Sharp toothed girl, Winnie Rae - (of evil smell and evil eye), Lorraine, mute by trauma, Dorothy, hermit woman appearing to be homeless after death of daughter and husband.

Now I'm off to find if Ms. Leal has written other books.

Oh - and I must, must read To Kill a Mockingbird!

[CuriousLibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 from me.

This is a strong portrayal of homeless families in our own neighborhoods. It is packed with interesting characters, and gets the point across without overwhelming the reader with misery and hardship.

Harper has been very excited to enter the poetry reading contest at school this year. But then her family gets evicted from their house. And her mother makes her babysit her brother at the motel instead of going to school. She meets some other kids living in a tent community, and enjoys spending time with them, but she really just wants to get to school for the poetry contest.

The author is good at portraying hardship in a way that kids will understand: seeing someone else with your possessions after they have been sold off, or signing up to use a generously provided shower. There is past abuse hinted at with Harper's absent father, but the worst that happens to her is a little humiliation, having her possessions sold off, and not being able to go to school. This is enough to get across the idea of hardship, without going so far that a young mind can't comprehend what is going on.

Recommended for grades 4-7.

[Margareta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is about this girls life living with her mom and younger brother. They have to go through rough times when her dad leaves because of his drinking habitats and the family is kicked out of their house and have to live in a run down motel, until they can pay up the money they owe.

I thought the book was very sweet and nice, even through the rough times. I felt this way throughout the book because Harper the main character has a gift for words and uses that in her poems. So if something dramatic happens in her life, she writes her feelings in poetry form, which I thought was very creative and gave the book more meaning.

I would recommend this book to anybody who has a love and passion in literature, because with the poems you can really dissect what's going on for Harper and put yourself in her shoes and see the true beauty and meanings to her poems.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the book I have been waiting for this year! It is CLEAR that Leal used her background as teacher to craft this novel. From start to finish I could put names to the faces of the characters. Not the names that they are given in the novel, but the names of students I have encountered in my classroom over the last 11 years. It made me think more of those students and their lives. I smiled, laughed, and cried.
This book would be great for a literature circle or a situation where you could really sit and talk about it.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

great writing by first time author Ann Haywood Leal. Harper is a young poet living in poverty with her mom and brother, Hemingway. Mom loves literature obviously and dad has moved on because his sadness makes him drink too much. Loved reading this...loved winning this book from Shelf Elf's blog.

[Ella Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also known as Harper is about a girl who's dad has left her and her family, when her family is forced out of their house Harper has to stay home from school to look after her brother Hemingway while their mom is at work. At Harpers school there is a poetry contest going on and Harper really wants to be in it. This is a very good book and I would rate it about a 3.8/5.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book as a kid. I read it several times in the fourth grade, and I decided I wanted to read it again! But I forgot the title.
A few Google searches away and here I am!

About to read it again.

[Karen Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was just a 13-year-old girl in secondary school when I read this book for the first time. The library was my safe place, my sacred and magical playground where I devoured classic books for the first time. I found myself absolutely enchanted by this story that shows the resilience and bravery of a young girl named Harper Lee Morgan as her family faces challenges such as homelessness, poverty and an alcoholic father who walked out of their lives.

Harper Lee Morgan worries that she won't live up to the name of the famous author that she is named after. She longs to be a writer but her father is an abusive alcoholic who walked out of her life and forever reminds her that she isn't a good writer. Her brother, Hemmingway is too young to understand and still waits on the porch every night for their father to come home. The story starts when Harper's mother is forced to move Harper and Hemmingway out of their home because they are being evicted. While her mother struggles to find a better job, Harper faces a dilemma because she is unable to go to school and sign up for a poetry contest because they don't have transport or a proper home. Reading her poems on stage has always been her dream. Could she make that dream come true even with all these challenges?

The book contains some of Harper's poems as she comes to terms with the true meaning of family and home. It's a heartwarming tale of a girl overcoming her past trauma and finding an audience for her words. She meets an old woman named Dorothy who inspires her greatly to write more poetry and I felt really glad to see her getting the recognition she deserves.

The ending was bittersweet and quite surprising because it ends not with an entirely happy moment. It ends with parting and goodbyes to some very cherished people but I feel that is what gives the book weight. Our protagonist grows from the challenges thrown at her and throughout everything, she still remains a good friend, a kind daughter and a sister who loves her brother. She also finally finds true friendship in Lorraine, a girl who became selectively mute from a fire and her little brother, Randall.

I found the depiction of the antagonists' redemption arc to be weak though. Harper's nemesis, Winnie Rae Early is shown from the beginning to be a mean girl who makes fun of Harper for not having a proper father. The message might be that people have many layers and are not what they seem. Winnie Rae is mean and bullying but also cries on Harper's shoulder when she loses her baby sister at the end, never apologizing for tormenting her. Her mother swears a lot and sold off Harper's property entrusted to her but she lost her own baby and she lets people use the shower at the motel for free. These contradicting traits make me think that these people perhaps wanted to be better but life made them angry and nasty. Because the life they are living is indeed hard. Winnie Rae's mom is a toilet cleaner and Harper's mom works odd jobs without academic qualifications. The 2 families are more alike in their rough circumstances than people realize. The difference is that Harper vows not to be like them.

I re-read this at 23 and was quite shocked to find that Harper is going through a lot more than I realized the first time. Clearly, the family was in trouble. For goodness sake, they are eating nothing but peanut butter sandwiches and sleeping in rundown movie theatres. Ann Haywood Leal's writing is simple, straightforward and clear. She conjures up really vivid images in my mind of kids living in rundown motels and found families. I also liked how Harper's past was revealed naturally over the course of flashbacks and stories that she would tell others. Her poetry was even more heartfelt and emotional especially in the context of the whole story because you can see the events happening to her in real time.

Overall, I found myself thinking about this story a long time after it's over. The themes of death, alcoholism, abusive parents, broken families, trauma and dreams were quite mature for a middle grade book. A great read and highly recommended.

[Kristi Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book! Clean read about a girl named Harper Lee and her brother Hem, short for Hemingway. Harper Lee is an aspiring writer who loves to write poetry and has high aspirations of reading her poetry on stage in front of the whole school. Harper encounters some obstacles along the way: her father has left her family and they are to fend for themselves. Her mother works several jobs and gets evicted from their home they are renting. Will Harper get her poetry to her teacher to read in front of the whole school? Harper learns some lessons and meets new friends long the way and keeps writing poetry. She feels that writing poetry is just bursting out of her every time something critical happens to her along the way.

Language: None
Sex: None
Violence: None

[Carol Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harper Lee, named after the author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," is a budding poet with an alcoholic father who just deserted his family. Her brother, Hemingway, sits outside every day waiting for Dad to return. The rent is so past due that they have been evicteed and life has become a struggle to find a place to live. At the motel, they meet a brother/sister team whose house burned down. The girl, about Harper's age, has not spoken since that traumatizing event. Also at the motel is an old woman pushing a wheel chair. She's an interesting character, so keep your eye on her. Themes include an exploration of homelessness, abandonment, and trauma, without being too sad and depressing.

[Natalie Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, though somewhat sad, is really good. It is about a girl and her brother living in poverty - they are evicted from their house in the beginning of the book and end up living at a campgrounds. This book is one of those books that is written to help the reader empathize with worlds they may not know. I really enjoyed it, but it definitely made me feel a lot of things. I would suggest it to students, especially in order to help them have a larger worldview.

[Rachael Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also Known as Harper is a story about a young girl who is an aspiring poet. While going through family trouble, Harper continues to write about everything happening. This book talks about many serious topics such as homelessness and the father in the house leaving the family. Books that are told from the perspective of a child relate better to children themselves and this is one of them. Harper, the main character, is a fifth grade student and I would recommend this book for children no younger than 5th grade. I enjoyed reading this book due to the fact that it did talk about such serious social topics, but I took a star away from my rating because there were no big action scenes, although the story did stay entertaining from page to page.

[Sharon Falduto]

A juvenile fiction book that my oldest left lying around, so I grabbed. Harper Lee Morgan really wants to be able to read her poems at the school assembly, but unfortunately her mom is falling behind on the rent, and the family ends up living in a motel and suddenly just getting to school is a huge problem. It's a good read for kids to see how easy it can be to end up one of those kids, and Harper's poems are good reads, too.

[Cm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this book. It was so well written with a distinct voice, and written in a way that reflects the narrator, ie Harper Lee. I loved the internal conflict she was grappling with as well as the themes brought out. I also like how there wasn't a neat, wrapped-in-a-bow type of ending. I cried when I got toward the end; the author makes you feel and root for Harper Lee. All in all a well rounded, well done book. I will definitely recommend to others.

[Tori Underwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a easy read and gave great insight to living in poverty. It was sad to see it from a young child's perspective. It made me wonder what it would be like to live in my car, motel, abandoned building, or tent. I definitely have more understanding for homeless people and children after reading this. I also have a new understanding. for children who been raised by parents with substance abuse problems.

[Natyluvsemojis!!!!! · Rating 1 out of 5]

I HATED THE BOOOOOOOOOOOK

[Lana Kamennof-sine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous book - so not what I had expected for a juvenile book plot. there was true savouring of the power of books

[Raymond 8E · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didnt really like the plot but still a okay book

[Ronah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book is about a little girl named after Harper Lee who is trying to become a writer. The book tackles problems like homelessness and alcoholism. But it lowkey boring

[Becky Seielstad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok, but I didn't love it.