What do you think?
Rate this book
Palms to the Ground
A thirteen-year-old boy does some hard traveling
Calman Pulowitz is an only child whose parents have been sending him to a therapist since he was able to talk. Now a teenager, he has reduced his suffering to insomnia, fainting spells, an addiction to Pepto-Bismol, and a dependence on the Psychic Hotline. But things are going to change, as he's about to travel far away from his home in Boston to Walla Walla, Washington, to meet his pen pal. Out West, he'll encounter Simon, the nine-fingered banjo player; Eleanor, the rosescented bartender; Tank, the fix-it man with an odd speech impediment; and, most important, Rizzy, his bully of a pen pal who greets Calman with a big she's a girl.
In this debut, readers will meet two brave, quirky, and utterly unforgettable characters who learn that growing up is a lot easier - and more fun - if you can count on a friend.
Calman Pulowitz is an only child whose parents have been sending him to a therapist since he was able to talk. Now a teenager, he has reduced his suffering to insomnia, fainting spells, an addiction to Pepto-Bismol, and a dependence on the Psychic Hotline. But things are going to change, as he's about to travel far away from his home in Boston to Walla Walla, Washington, to meet his pen pal. Out West, he'll encounter Simon, the nine-fingered banjo player; Eleanor, the rosescented bartender; Tank, the fix-it man with an odd speech impediment; and, most important, Rizzy, his bully of a pen pal who greets Calman with a big she's a girl.
In this debut, readers will meet two brave, quirky, and utterly unforgettable characters who learn that growing up is a lot easier - and more fun - if you can count on a friend.
- GenresYoung Adult
256 pages, Hardcover
First published April 11, 2005
3 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Amy Stolls
2 books25 followersAmy Stolls’s young adult novel Palms to the Ground was published in 2005 to critical acclaim and was a Parents’ Choice Gold Award winner. A former environmental journalist who covered the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, she is currently a literature program officer for the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and son.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 17, 2007
If I ever write the book that's in my head these days it's a YA novel, so I wanted to read another YA novel and I chose this one because the author is a friend of a friend whom I have met because we all traveled to London and Paris together when we were 18.
As for the book - Amy's a superb writer and her debut is impressive. Ultra-clever moments. Uses vocabulary that is probably on the level of well-read teens but not the teens I had in my reading classes this summer! If there is such a thing as "literary YA fiction" this is it.
The story: neurotic Jewish Boston 13-year-old boy goes to Walla Walla, Washington to meet his pen pal. On his first day there he discovers his pen pal is a girl, a point she drives home by holding up her dress and saying, "Look Ma, no penis." Hmmmm.
The coming of age factor for the main character, Calman, is right on. At the books end, however I never felt like I'd gotten quite close enough to Rizzy, the pen pal, and her relationship with her mom came together too quickly and neatly at the end. That said, for brainiac teen this is still a good read.
As for the book - Amy's a superb writer and her debut is impressive. Ultra-clever moments. Uses vocabulary that is probably on the level of well-read teens but not the teens I had in my reading classes this summer! If there is such a thing as "literary YA fiction" this is it.
The story: neurotic Jewish Boston 13-year-old boy goes to Walla Walla, Washington to meet his pen pal. On his first day there he discovers his pen pal is a girl, a point she drives home by holding up her dress and saying, "Look Ma, no penis." Hmmmm.
The coming of age factor for the main character, Calman, is right on. At the books end, however I never felt like I'd gotten quite close enough to Rizzy, the pen pal, and her relationship with her mom came together too quickly and neatly at the end. That said, for brainiac teen this is still a good read.
May 7, 2007
This book is wonderfully funny. And hearing Amy read from it out loud was even better. And it's always nice knowing an alumnus from your school is publishing!
August 4, 2009
Good boy character. Quirky, great for many adolescent boys to read, girls too.
April 25, 2016
After read my second book from the author, I look forward to next novel. I really enjoy her writing, and characters' thoughts. Contemporary setting and very believable.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews