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One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street
When a mysterious man arrives one day on Orange Street, the children who live on the block try to find out who he is and why he’s there. Little do they know that his story—and the story of a very old orange tree—connects to each of their personal worries in ways they never could have imagined. From impressing friends to dealing with an expanding family to understanding a younger sibling’s illness, the characters’ storylines come together around that orange tree. Taking place over the course of a day and a half, Joanne Rocklin’s masterful novel deftly builds a story about family, childhood anxieties, and the importance of connection. In th
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
22 people are currently reading
1029 people want to read
About the author
Joanne Rocklin
31 books54 followersI was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the land of four distinct seasons. The winters are so long!
Wintry days and nights inspired me to read many, many books, the most important thing a writer can do. Of course other seasons inspired me, too! And as soon as I learned to hold a pencil I began writing poems, stories, and diaries.
I have always owned cats (or they have owned me, a cliché, but true!) Coincidentally, all our cats have been authors, and I’ve compiled their writing secrets in the essay “Why Cats Write.”
And I have always lived within walking distance of a library. (O.K. in California, within almost-walking, but driving distance!) I love to read and write, but I also love to talk--especially about writing.
Wintry days and nights inspired me to read many, many books, the most important thing a writer can do. Of course other seasons inspired me, too! And as soon as I learned to hold a pencil I began writing poems, stories, and diaries.
I have always owned cats (or they have owned me, a cliché, but true!) Coincidentally, all our cats have been authors, and I’ve compiled their writing secrets in the essay “Why Cats Write.”
And I have always lived within walking distance of a library. (O.K. in California, within almost-walking, but driving distance!) I love to read and write, but I also love to talk--especially about writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
July 13, 2022
This book is so pure and sweet and wonderful. I would absolutely recommend it.
November 6, 2011
A very sweet beautiful read, but I fear the pacing, flashbacks and intricate description makes it more of a "librarian book."
January 19, 2012
These days it seems like it's rare to find a contemporary realistic fiction middle grade title where no one dies, has abusive parents, or has to go through some other horrible struggle. Not that there isn't a place for all that, but there are quite a few kids and parent who are looking for something like One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, which is as refreshing as the Valencia oranges on the subject of the book.
As the title indicates, One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street takes place in the course of roughly 30 hours, on one block in Los Angeles, which has five houses and an empty lot that has an orange tree. It's the kind of street that you see on TV and in movies but that doesn't seem to exist in the Los Angeles that I know, in which all the kids are around the same age, and play together outside in the shade of the orange tree. Each short chapter is about one (or two) of the characters, mostly the kids, but some about Ms. Snoops, an elderly woman, and even one told from the perspective of the orange tree itself. Although the title is "one day and one amazing morning," nothing that happens in the book is something that so extraordinarily that it could really only happen in a book. There's a boy with cerebellar mutism, a girl whose mother goes on a lot of business trips, a boy trying to learn magic, and a girl dealing with soon having a new sibling. These are things that they'll remember, and will affect their lives, but it's nothing that couldn't potentially happen in Anytown, USA. It's really just snippets of life on an everyday street.
Grades 4-6
As the title indicates, One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street takes place in the course of roughly 30 hours, on one block in Los Angeles, which has five houses and an empty lot that has an orange tree. It's the kind of street that you see on TV and in movies but that doesn't seem to exist in the Los Angeles that I know, in which all the kids are around the same age, and play together outside in the shade of the orange tree. Each short chapter is about one (or two) of the characters, mostly the kids, but some about Ms. Snoops, an elderly woman, and even one told from the perspective of the orange tree itself. Although the title is "one day and one amazing morning," nothing that happens in the book is something that so extraordinarily that it could really only happen in a book. There's a boy with cerebellar mutism, a girl whose mother goes on a lot of business trips, a boy trying to learn magic, and a girl dealing with soon having a new sibling. These are things that they'll remember, and will affect their lives, but it's nothing that couldn't potentially happen in Anytown, USA. It's really just snippets of life on an everyday street.
Grades 4-6
May 10, 2011
Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer Jordan B. Nielsen
Recommended for: Both boys and girls, aged 8 to 12.
One Word Summary: Diffuse.
The problems with this book are quite nebulous in nature. The concept, a day in the life of one community, all centering around an orange tree in an abandoned lot in the suburbs of Los Angeles, is an alluring one. The characters, and there are a lot of them, are interesting, each with their own internal conflict that is worked out in the course of the day. The writing is mostly solid, the formatting unique, however, something is amiss. And like that vague feeling that you’ve forgotten something, but you’re not even sure what, it’s hard to say exactly what causes the vacant disquiet that follows the reading of this story.
Ali, Leandra and Bunny make up the ‘Girls With Long Hair Club’, a neighborhood triad that meets under the shade of a lone orange tree standing in the empty lot between their houses. The young girls convene and bicker over basically any topic of conversation that comes up, most often what the purpose of their club actually is. On the day we meet the girls, each is mulling over a problem of great significance. Ali’s little brother, Edgar, was recently released from the hospital after a surgical procedure on his brain. Since then, her once smiling, friendly sibling has been rendered completely mute, shy and forlorn. The doctors believe he will recover, but no one knows how long it might take. Leandra’s problems are two-fold. Not only is her mother pregnant with a new sibling that Leandra isn’t sure she wants, her beloved grandfather’s health has been in question ever since his recent heart attack. He may do dozens of push ups every morning, but Leandra wonders if the saying she’s often heard in church ‘The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away’ is about to hit her hard. Bunny’s worries are innumerable. To counter her many anxieties, she’s worked out a series of superstitions and rituals. In Bunny’s mind, if she fails to blink a certain number of times, wear her purple hat, touch its brim just so, climb the orange tree and wave to her mother’s passing airplane on the day of her business trip, the jet will surely crash. Her mother travels a lot, so you can imagine how busy these obsessive habits keep Bunny.
Orbiting these girls are a number of side characters (all of whom I found, quite frankly, to be far more interesting than the three girls. Sadly each are allotted little page time). Robert, a young, chubby, aspiring magician who is in love with Ali, and desperate for his estranged father’s affection, but receives the returned attention of neither. Mrs. Snoops, the senile neighbor who frequently calls 9-1-1 to report the murder of plants. A mysterious bald and bearded man whose history is linked with the orange tree. And the most engaging and charismatic of all the character, at least for me, Manny, the free-versing, dreadlocked, juggling, Hispanic, stroller-pushing nanny to Ali and Edgar.
Then, on top of all of these characters are detailed flashbacks spanning nearly a hundred years, segments of first person narration from the orange tree, a view through the eyes of the neighborhood pets, episodes with imperiled birds, Mrs.’s Snoops many recountings of her hazy memories, and more, all packed in this very thin volume. As a result, there simply isn’t enough time to give each of these characters and events their due development. It’s a credit to Rocklin’s writing that I was involved with each of these people and their stories, but rather than creating the pleasant feeling of curiosity and a desire for more, the scant attention to each of the characters merely feels insufficient.
The fatal mistake of this book, however, concerns the plotting of its central drama. The story begins with the characters pondering the sudden appearance of an orange street cone perched outside the empty lot that contains the orange tree. After this initial interest the cone doesn’t come up again until the story’s climax. As it turns out (Minor spoiler alert) the tree is slated to be chopped down and the land developed; the cone is a signal to the work-crew. However, you don’t learn this until moments before the tree’s executioners arrive in the last handful of the book’s pages. The narrator says something to the effect of “Everyone had forgotten about that orange cone and what it could have meant,” and indeed with all the mixing subplots and histories coasting by, the reader has likely forgotten all about the cone as well by the time its significance rolls around. The whole point of this story is the great history of the tree and the lives that have played out around it. It would have been a fantastic opportunity to create some much needed tension in this story if, while learning about the tree’s storied past and what it means to the local community, in the back of the reader’s mind was the buzzing of a chainsaw. The reader would feel the importance of this orange tree with more urgency as the event of its long life played against the threat of its impending doom. As it is, the drama with the tree cutters is introduced and then wrapped up before you can even feel the threat of their blades, resulting in a middling level of drama that feels stuck on as an afterthought in an attempt to meet the obligatory need for a climax.
It’s an overall lack of feeling that keeps the emotional impact of this story from landing. We’re shown that the three girls are all very different, but the tree and the lot hold them together. I get it, but I don’t feel it. We’re told that this day and these events are all meant to be very significant, and I can understand that, but I don’t know it. There’s a sense that the author is reaching very hard for profundity, but like Robert’s many failed tricks, there’s a lot of waving of scarves and magic words, but when the cup is finally raised for the big reveal, there’s sadly nothing underneath.
For more reviews from The Rusty Key, visit us at www.therustykey.com
Recommended for: Both boys and girls, aged 8 to 12.
One Word Summary: Diffuse.
The problems with this book are quite nebulous in nature. The concept, a day in the life of one community, all centering around an orange tree in an abandoned lot in the suburbs of Los Angeles, is an alluring one. The characters, and there are a lot of them, are interesting, each with their own internal conflict that is worked out in the course of the day. The writing is mostly solid, the formatting unique, however, something is amiss. And like that vague feeling that you’ve forgotten something, but you’re not even sure what, it’s hard to say exactly what causes the vacant disquiet that follows the reading of this story.
Ali, Leandra and Bunny make up the ‘Girls With Long Hair Club’, a neighborhood triad that meets under the shade of a lone orange tree standing in the empty lot between their houses. The young girls convene and bicker over basically any topic of conversation that comes up, most often what the purpose of their club actually is. On the day we meet the girls, each is mulling over a problem of great significance. Ali’s little brother, Edgar, was recently released from the hospital after a surgical procedure on his brain. Since then, her once smiling, friendly sibling has been rendered completely mute, shy and forlorn. The doctors believe he will recover, but no one knows how long it might take. Leandra’s problems are two-fold. Not only is her mother pregnant with a new sibling that Leandra isn’t sure she wants, her beloved grandfather’s health has been in question ever since his recent heart attack. He may do dozens of push ups every morning, but Leandra wonders if the saying she’s often heard in church ‘The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away’ is about to hit her hard. Bunny’s worries are innumerable. To counter her many anxieties, she’s worked out a series of superstitions and rituals. In Bunny’s mind, if she fails to blink a certain number of times, wear her purple hat, touch its brim just so, climb the orange tree and wave to her mother’s passing airplane on the day of her business trip, the jet will surely crash. Her mother travels a lot, so you can imagine how busy these obsessive habits keep Bunny.
Orbiting these girls are a number of side characters (all of whom I found, quite frankly, to be far more interesting than the three girls. Sadly each are allotted little page time). Robert, a young, chubby, aspiring magician who is in love with Ali, and desperate for his estranged father’s affection, but receives the returned attention of neither. Mrs. Snoops, the senile neighbor who frequently calls 9-1-1 to report the murder of plants. A mysterious bald and bearded man whose history is linked with the orange tree. And the most engaging and charismatic of all the character, at least for me, Manny, the free-versing, dreadlocked, juggling, Hispanic, stroller-pushing nanny to Ali and Edgar.
Then, on top of all of these characters are detailed flashbacks spanning nearly a hundred years, segments of first person narration from the orange tree, a view through the eyes of the neighborhood pets, episodes with imperiled birds, Mrs.’s Snoops many recountings of her hazy memories, and more, all packed in this very thin volume. As a result, there simply isn’t enough time to give each of these characters and events their due development. It’s a credit to Rocklin’s writing that I was involved with each of these people and their stories, but rather than creating the pleasant feeling of curiosity and a desire for more, the scant attention to each of the characters merely feels insufficient.
The fatal mistake of this book, however, concerns the plotting of its central drama. The story begins with the characters pondering the sudden appearance of an orange street cone perched outside the empty lot that contains the orange tree. After this initial interest the cone doesn’t come up again until the story’s climax. As it turns out (Minor spoiler alert) the tree is slated to be chopped down and the land developed; the cone is a signal to the work-crew. However, you don’t learn this until moments before the tree’s executioners arrive in the last handful of the book’s pages. The narrator says something to the effect of “Everyone had forgotten about that orange cone and what it could have meant,” and indeed with all the mixing subplots and histories coasting by, the reader has likely forgotten all about the cone as well by the time its significance rolls around. The whole point of this story is the great history of the tree and the lives that have played out around it. It would have been a fantastic opportunity to create some much needed tension in this story if, while learning about the tree’s storied past and what it means to the local community, in the back of the reader’s mind was the buzzing of a chainsaw. The reader would feel the importance of this orange tree with more urgency as the event of its long life played against the threat of its impending doom. As it is, the drama with the tree cutters is introduced and then wrapped up before you can even feel the threat of their blades, resulting in a middling level of drama that feels stuck on as an afterthought in an attempt to meet the obligatory need for a climax.
It’s an overall lack of feeling that keeps the emotional impact of this story from landing. We’re shown that the three girls are all very different, but the tree and the lot hold them together. I get it, but I don’t feel it. We’re told that this day and these events are all meant to be very significant, and I can understand that, but I don’t know it. There’s a sense that the author is reaching very hard for profundity, but like Robert’s many failed tricks, there’s a lot of waving of scarves and magic words, but when the cup is finally raised for the big reveal, there’s sadly nothing underneath.
For more reviews from The Rusty Key, visit us at www.therustykey.com
February 12, 2012
The Magic Childhood Space is a common subject (or setting) of children’s books. These spaces can take the form of treehouses (The Odds Get Even), forts (The Egypt Game), re-named natural spaces (Lake of Shining Waters, anyone?), and plots of land transformed by imagination and play (Roxaboxen). In this case, The Magic Childhood Space is an overgrown lot on a street in Los Angeles that was never developed, at the centre of which is the most perfect valencia orange tree one could imagine. The lot plays host to meetings of the Girls With Long Hair club, buried treasures, family secrets, and many other juicy tidbits.
I like a strong ensemble cast, and there are plenty of characters to love in Joanne Rocklin’s book. Bunny, who has decided to change her name to the more sophisticated Bonita, is anxious about her mother, who is traveling by plane. Clever and creative Ali is worried about her little brother Edgar, who has not been himself since a major operation. Robert is a little in love with Ali and hopes to capture her attention, as well as his Dad’s, with a newfound magic trick. Bossy Leandra is not looking forward to the arrival of her new baby sister. And then there is Ms. Snoops, she of the delicious ambrosia and shiny pink tracksuits, who is full of stories from the old days on Orange Street, but can’t seem to remember what happened yesterday.
The timeframe of this book, as suggested in the title, is less than 48 hours, though the author uses flashbacks and memories to fill in some necessary blanks. This format keeps the book rolling along at a nice pace. Although there were moments when I wished I could spend more time in a particular character’s head, the story is in no way underdeveloped or superficial. Like the perfect orange, the book is neither too sweet nor too tart. Fans of The Penderwicks, What Happened on Fox Street, and the Melendy Quartet will gobble this one up.
I like a strong ensemble cast, and there are plenty of characters to love in Joanne Rocklin’s book. Bunny, who has decided to change her name to the more sophisticated Bonita, is anxious about her mother, who is traveling by plane. Clever and creative Ali is worried about her little brother Edgar, who has not been himself since a major operation. Robert is a little in love with Ali and hopes to capture her attention, as well as his Dad’s, with a newfound magic trick. Bossy Leandra is not looking forward to the arrival of her new baby sister. And then there is Ms. Snoops, she of the delicious ambrosia and shiny pink tracksuits, who is full of stories from the old days on Orange Street, but can’t seem to remember what happened yesterday.
The timeframe of this book, as suggested in the title, is less than 48 hours, though the author uses flashbacks and memories to fill in some necessary blanks. This format keeps the book rolling along at a nice pace. Although there were moments when I wished I could spend more time in a particular character’s head, the story is in no way underdeveloped or superficial. Like the perfect orange, the book is neither too sweet nor too tart. Fans of The Penderwicks, What Happened on Fox Street, and the Melendy Quartet will gobble this one up.
July 26, 2011
The children that live on Orange Street know a thing or two about oranges. The big, old orange tree in the vacant lot supplies them with juicy, delicious fruit, and more importantly, with a place. A place to hold meetings, like those of the Girls with Long Hair Club, a place to practice magic, a place to dig, and a place to heal, and a place keep secrets. They all understand that the orange tree belongs to all of them, to the children of Orange Street, but one morning, they wake up to an orange cone in front of the vacant lot—an orange cone that means changes when these children, individually, can’t take much more change.
I loved this book. It was understated and beautiful, wove together the stories of four children and one old lady today with stories of four children in the past. We get to see shining examples of family and community, stories of tiny hopes and important losses and big dreams and small worries, all in one story that’s sweet and charming and bright, like the fresh-squeezed juice of a Valencia orange.
I loved this book. It was understated and beautiful, wove together the stories of four children and one old lady today with stories of four children in the past. We get to see shining examples of family and community, stories of tiny hopes and important losses and big dreams and small worries, all in one story that’s sweet and charming and bright, like the fresh-squeezed juice of a Valencia orange.
June 23, 2012
In about thirty minutes my new grandson will be born. These milestone events often crown our lives and connect us to one another. Rocklin's story about an ordinary orange tree highlights how many ways we are connected, the small ways that we often forget about. As she describes each character, we get a glimpse of their own thoughts and dreams. The orange tree standing alone in the vacant lot provides a sense of place, a grounded tangible metaphor for life. With its roots firmly planted it is free to extend itself with all it has to offer. This multifaceted story would be a great read aloud, an opportunity to discuss these similarities we all share.
See the rest of the review at soimfifty.blogspot.com.
See the rest of the review at soimfifty.blogspot.com.
June 13, 2014
This book reminded me a little of Fleischman's Seed Folk in the way it portrayed a neighborhood. I didn't love this book, and I think it may be due to the audio--it was hard to keep track of all the characters and their stories on my quick trips in the car. The writing was lovely, and it might work well as a classroom read aloud. Truthfully, I don't know that it will have a lot of kid appeal---we will see!
November 27, 2014
Marvelous in both its scope and in its simplicity. Reminiscent of The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode in the way it evokes a particular time and place and the timeless world of a neighborhood.
July 2, 2022
I first read this book in 2013 and rated it 5 stars. Upon reading it again in 2022, it is still a 5 star book for me. Though it is juvenile fiction, there is something so magical about reading this book as an adult. It makes me feel about 12 years old again, back in my childhood rural neighborhood in the 1970s. I love this story.
June 11, 2012
I must have missed what all the other reviewers found so great about this book. I found it painfully dull and unrefreshing. Not amazing at all.
December 31, 2012
What a sweet book. It brought me back to my own childhood in so many ways and was a delightful book to spend an afternoon with.
dnf
March 28, 2023I wanted to love this book. I was pre-reading it for my sensitive daughter. I stopped for 3 reasons - 1. One of the character's baby brothers has cancer. When she talks to her mom about why the answer given is "that's life."
2. References to fortune telling
3. This is ultimately what made me stop reading - "Leandra thought that was one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen in her family. It was fine for a mom to be pregnant when her other children were infants…but it was a different story entirely when one of those children were nine…and all of them totally understood how it happened."
2. References to fortune telling
3. This is ultimately what made me stop reading - "Leandra thought that was one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen in her family. It was fine for a mom to be pregnant when her other children were infants…but it was a different story entirely when one of those children were nine…and all of them totally understood how it happened."
February 11, 2022
This was a sweet kids book about a place on Orange Street where the neighborhood kids gather. There are current stories and flashbacks that highlight different pinpoints in history weaving the stories of Orange Street’s residents together. I found this book very enjoyable and loved each of the issues the characters dealt with. The writing was picturesque and wholesome.
January 5, 2012
Originally posted here.
One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin has one of the most complicated and difficult to remember titles of any book I've come across in a long time. It is title worth trying to remember though as it is a wonderful heartwarming story of friendship and community and the magic in everyday life.
The story follows the lives of the citizens on Orange Street over the course of a day and a half and centers on the vacant lot with the lone standing orange tree where the children play. The third person narrative switches perspective between three 9 year old girls, one 11 year old boy, an elderly woman who has lived on Orange Street her entire life, the mysterious man, and even the orange tree. Ali is dealing with how his sickness has changed her brother. Leandra is trying to reconcile herself to the arrival of a new sister. Bunny is overcome with fears and worry over her mother's business traveling. Robert is trying to deal with his parents divorce and impress Ali so that she will be more like she used to be. Ms. Snoops is forgetting more and more as each day goes by but is comforted watching the children play in the vacant lot near her home. All of these stories are linked through the relationships of the people involved and the events in one day and one morning on their street involving the mysterious man and an equally mysterious orange cone that appears in front of the vacant lot.
There are a lot of characters and events here and yet I never got them confused or mixed up. Each of the girls, who would have been the easiest confuse, has a distinct personality and different family dynamic. All of the events form each character's personality and are woven together into one beautiful narrative thread. Rocklin managed do to all of this in 200 pages. The story is full and rich and not at all bloated. In a time where so many MG novels are hitting the 350-400 page mark, I lift my hat to Rocklin for this. What I enjoyed most about the book was the emphasis on community in all its variations, family, friends, neighbors and how what we do affects the people we are in community with. There were times when this theme was a little loud and felt like it was being hammered at which is my one and only quibble with the book in general.
One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin has one of the most complicated and difficult to remember titles of any book I've come across in a long time. It is title worth trying to remember though as it is a wonderful heartwarming story of friendship and community and the magic in everyday life.
The story follows the lives of the citizens on Orange Street over the course of a day and a half and centers on the vacant lot with the lone standing orange tree where the children play. The third person narrative switches perspective between three 9 year old girls, one 11 year old boy, an elderly woman who has lived on Orange Street her entire life, the mysterious man, and even the orange tree. Ali is dealing with how his sickness has changed her brother. Leandra is trying to reconcile herself to the arrival of a new sister. Bunny is overcome with fears and worry over her mother's business traveling. Robert is trying to deal with his parents divorce and impress Ali so that she will be more like she used to be. Ms. Snoops is forgetting more and more as each day goes by but is comforted watching the children play in the vacant lot near her home. All of these stories are linked through the relationships of the people involved and the events in one day and one morning on their street involving the mysterious man and an equally mysterious orange cone that appears in front of the vacant lot.
There are a lot of characters and events here and yet I never got them confused or mixed up. Each of the girls, who would have been the easiest confuse, has a distinct personality and different family dynamic. All of the events form each character's personality and are woven together into one beautiful narrative thread. Rocklin managed do to all of this in 200 pages. The story is full and rich and not at all bloated. In a time where so many MG novels are hitting the 350-400 page mark, I lift my hat to Rocklin for this. What I enjoyed most about the book was the emphasis on community in all its variations, family, friends, neighbors and how what we do affects the people we are in community with. There were times when this theme was a little loud and felt like it was being hammered at which is my one and only quibble with the book in general.
December 23, 2011
I'm often saddened to learn of apple or cherry orchards cut down in the name of progress, and I sometimes wonder what exactly prompts the resolution on the part of the owner to cut or sell the orchards that have produced such delicious fruits. In this particular story, a group of neighborhood children begin their day under the only remaining Valencia orange tree left from a large orchard in California. As most children know, the tree has provided them with a gathering place, shade, something to climb, but what they don't know is that the tree has great significance for some of the adults in the neighborhood. Consequently, this book contains several stories about the big and small issues in the lives of the children, but it also travels back in time so that readers can glimpse the effects of the Great Depression in the 1930s and to 1967 during the Vietnam War era. Especially poignant were the phone calls made to 911 by elderly neighbor Ethel Finneymaker--known as Ms. Snoops by the neighborhood children--as she did her best to defend her territory. I loved the fact that she introduced the wonders of the OED to Ali and used challenging vocabulary words even around the children.
Much of the story and descriptive language are immensely satisfying, and my only quibbles with this one are that there are simply too many things going on and too many coincidences. Still, the author has forced me to think of oranges quite differently than I did before.
Much of the story and descriptive language are immensely satisfying, and my only quibbles with this one are that there are simply too many things going on and too many coincidences. Still, the author has forced me to think of oranges quite differently than I did before.
August 19, 2018
The neighborhood kids love to play in the giant orange tree in the empty lot. But with the appearance of a mysterious traffic cone and a stranger in a green car, the seemingly-ordinary day takes an eventful turn or two for all the residents of Orange Street.
Retaining the oldschool style of classic novels, One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street is a snapshot of how ordinary moments, individual feelings, and not-so-distant history can come together and tell a bigger story. With gentle honesty, the story explores the various growing pains and problems, hopes and hurts, failures and friendships that create lasting connections between Ali, Leandra, Bunny, Robert, and Ms. Snoops.
I think this is one that will appeal to older readers who like something a little slower paced and character driven. I'd recommend this to fans of Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume and Keeper by Kathi Appelt.
Retaining the oldschool style of classic novels, One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street is a snapshot of how ordinary moments, individual feelings, and not-so-distant history can come together and tell a bigger story. With gentle honesty, the story explores the various growing pains and problems, hopes and hurts, failures and friendships that create lasting connections between Ali, Leandra, Bunny, Robert, and Ms. Snoops.
I think this is one that will appeal to older readers who like something a little slower paced and character driven. I'd recommend this to fans of Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M.M. Blume and Keeper by Kathi Appelt.
May 8, 2025
LOVED:
- The cast of characters
- The audiobook
LIKED:
- The one-day setting with flashbacks
MEH:
- I didnʻt really feel connected to the story. Maybe itʻs because it only took place during one day or is itself a short book or too many characters, I donʻt know.
- The cast of characters
- The audiobook
LIKED:
- The one-day setting with flashbacks
MEH:
- I didnʻt really feel connected to the story. Maybe itʻs because it only took place during one day or is itself a short book or too many characters, I donʻt know.
September 7, 2013
Title / Author / Publication Date: One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Plot summary: The last remaining orange tree on a Southern California street brings together neighbors of all ages as they face their problems and anxieties, including the possibility that a mysterious stranger is a threat to their tree.
Considerations or precautions for readers advisory: One of the characters is dealing with Alzheimers and another character's storyline deals with the Vietnam War.
Review citation: Pierce, L. (2011). One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street. School Library Journal, 57(9), 69-70.
Section source used to find the material: Children's Core Collection, Most Highly Recommended
Recommended age: 8 and up.
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Plot summary: The last remaining orange tree on a Southern California street brings together neighbors of all ages as they face their problems and anxieties, including the possibility that a mysterious stranger is a threat to their tree.
Considerations or precautions for readers advisory: One of the characters is dealing with Alzheimers and another character's storyline deals with the Vietnam War.
Review citation: Pierce, L. (2011). One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street. School Library Journal, 57(9), 69-70.
Section source used to find the material: Children's Core Collection, Most Highly Recommended
Recommended age: 8 and up.
December 17, 2018
Both kids and I were bored with this one. One interesting anecdote didn't save the book from the rest of the worries, neuroses, and sadness that just pile on from every other character. The forced introduction of new vocabulary was irritating as well.
July 4, 2012
FOCAL Award 2012 winner! a book that can be reread several times.
Currently reading
September 8, 2013Really want to read this book but new to good reads and donts know how to download it!!
Read
April 7, 2015The book was a very sad book. Edgar was so amazing. Ali was so nice, but Leandra never got to she her little sister. I loved the book. :)
December 19, 2022
The residents of Orange Street are a diverse bunch living on a street with a lot of history behind it from the planting of Valencia orange seeds by the early Spanish explorers to the Viet Nam war. Ms. Snoops, a former teacher, plans to write about her memories of growing up on Orange Street, but is having memory lapses. Ali is worried about her baby brother who became gravely ill & who stopped smiling & talking after his treatments. Her best friends, Bunny & Leandra have their own problems ftom Bunny's OCD about her mother's air travel to Leandra's worry about her expected baby sister. Robert wants to be a famous magician but is having trouble performing magic & adjusting to his parents' divorce. And, one morning, an orange road cone appears near the vacant lot with the only surviving Valencia orange tree on Orange Street. What can it mean? And who is the strange man in the green car that keeps appearing on their street? This was a lovely story based on some real history & childhood memories.
June 8, 2020
2 1/2 stars rounded down to 3
It makes me so sad to rate this book this low it just did not do me any justice.
Also I feel bad for being such a negative nancy, I usually am not.
Pros:
-I like the idea of the story only taking place in one day and morning
-I liked the sections like morning, evening......
-I liked the club they had with the kids in the neighbor hood
Cons:
-I found myself really confused with the different characters and who did what and, exactly who it was talking about.
-it seemed to jump around a lot. it needed to be more organized it was a hard read, and I don't expect any young people to understand it well.
-The writing was not that good, I think the author would do better with YA
-I found myself re-reading a lot of paragraphs and pages because it did not interest me that much
It makes me so sad to rate this book this low it just did not do me any justice.
Also I feel bad for being such a negative nancy, I usually am not.
Pros:
-I like the idea of the story only taking place in one day and morning
-I liked the sections like morning, evening......
-I liked the club they had with the kids in the neighbor hood
Cons:
-I found myself really confused with the different characters and who did what and, exactly who it was talking about.
-it seemed to jump around a lot. it needed to be more organized it was a hard read, and I don't expect any young people to understand it well.
-The writing was not that good, I think the author would do better with YA
-I found myself re-reading a lot of paragraphs and pages because it did not interest me that much
June 27, 2018
What a lovely read! I have a giant stack of books I should be reading, but when this one caught my eye from a library shelf I couldn't pass it up (it's about a TREE, after all, people), and I'm so pleased I gave in to the urge. I wish there were more children's books out there like this: books that offer a snapshot of a community--of the people who shape it, the everyday or seemingly random or occasionally life-changing events that rock and inform a child's world, the interactions between friends and among neighbors, the slices of history that shape the present. A very down-to-earth view of life; sweet and a little bit tart.
February 16, 2017
This book takes you from character to character with a bit of whiplash. I would have enjoyed this story better if there was one focal character throughout the story. The characters were relatable but some moments were a bit over-described. I feel the problem of this has been used before and wasn't really new to me. The most refreshing part of the story was the endearing old lady. All of the children in the story could relate to each other because each of them is going through something hard. Goes to show that friends are important.
August 17, 2017
A wonderful book that weaves the lives of children and some adults living on Orange Street into a story. The street is named for a Valencia orange tree that has lived on one of the lots for a hundred years. This is a book written for kids - I would say late elementary to middle school age. In this book, lots of things are explained or shown in a stealthy, dramatic way - lots of pieces of life or science that a kid or most adults would find interesting.
September 7, 2023
Throughout this book, we met multiple different characters that brought different experiences and lifestyles to the story. While reading the story you may feel like you’re unsure of where the story is going but it puts all of the pieces together for a wonderful ending. It’s a heartfelt story about friendship, collaboration and the love of one thing.
I would keep this in my classroom library for my students to read if they so desired.
I would keep this in my classroom library for my students to read if they so desired.
January 15, 2024
Rounded up because of the wonderful vocabulary words.
I also appreciate the intergenerational friendship. Though the old lady does need more help than she's getting as her dementia advances.
I think it's likely to appeal to bright kids who are reluctant readers* and are tired of getting Wimpy Kid or adventures recommended to them. There's a lot going on, but it's all clear & interesting, but very concisely told.
*Which is almost all of them, of course. :)
I also appreciate the intergenerational friendship. Though the old lady does need more help than she's getting as her dementia advances.
I think it's likely to appeal to bright kids who are reluctant readers* and are tired of getting Wimpy Kid or adventures recommended to them. There's a lot going on, but it's all clear & interesting, but very concisely told.
*Which is almost all of them, of course. :)
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