Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #818989 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-19
• Released on: 2008-08-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 3–5—Piper Reed, a spunky fourth grader, is back with another series of adventures (Holt, 2008) by Kimberly Willis Holt. Pipers dad, a Navy Chief, is called up on active duty for six months, but imaginative Piper finds plenty of ways to keep busy. The excitement of new neighbors, spending Christmas in a spaceship beach house, taking Uncle Leo to school for show-and-tell, and planning and performing in the first ever "Gypsy Club Pet Show" keep the youngster and her sisters occupied. Emily Janice Card does a fabulous job of bringing this dynamic nine-year-old to life. Fans of Piper Reed, Navy Brat (Holt, 2007; Listening Library, 2007) as well as Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones tales and Paula Danziger's stories about Amber Brown will be delighted with this chapter book.—Amy Joslyn, Fairport Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
A sequel to Piper Reed, Navy Brat (2007), this appealing chapter book continues the story of nine-year-old Piper, her two sisters, her mother, and her father, a navy man who has just left for six months at sea. Dyslexic and a middle child, Piper sometimes feels outshone by her siblings, but she begins to see where her strengths lie as events unfold, and she even discovers a book that she enjoys reading. Piper’s first-person narration will win over many readers with its accessible depiction of a family’s ups and downs. One significant event, when Piper’s mother falls downstairs and breaks her leg, is told in a refreshingly unconventional manner: each girl writes a letter to her father, supposedly to inform him of the event and clearly to place the blame on another sister. Besides providing droll reports of the event, the letters clearly contrast the sister’s personalities. Davenier’s line-and-wash drawings illustrate the episodic story with wry humor. Grades 3-5. --Carolyn Phelan

Review

Customer Reviews

A Fan's Review
I found this creation very entertaining. Especially liked the chapter that presented the 3 childrens' individual versions of "how mom broke her leg". That was classic.
Ms. Holt, the author is the eldest daughter among 3, but she told the story from the eyes and mindset of the middle child. She rose to the challenge and pulled that off flawlessly. I'm also remembering that she had to think like a pre-teen boy when she created an earlier book - "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town". She obviously did an excellent job with that, as the book was awarded the NBA (National Book Award) for young adult literature in 1999, and was later made into a movie, which is shown regularly on various cable and dish network channels.
I know those sisters that are presented in "Piper Reed (Navy Brat) and Piper Reed (The Great Gypsy). Both books have taken me down nostalgia lane and refreshed many fond memories. I may be a little biased because -I'm "The Chief".

Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club.com
Every now and then I get to take a break from some of my heavier reading and get a reminder of how much fun it can be to read something geared to early readers. Piper Reed, The Great Gypsy by Kimberly Willis Holt is one of those books.

I've been of fan of Holt's since reading My Louisiana Sky several years ago. Being from Louisiana originally, I was particularly taken with a book set there that didn't involve negative clichés about the state or its people one often sees in works set in Louisiana. And I liked the story of a pre-teen girl who must choose between living a glamorous like with her sophisticated aunt or staying to live with her mentally challenged parents.

Piper Reed has appeal for younger readers in large part, because Holt has a very down-to-earth voice that imparts lessons to younger readers without being preachy. Readers get a glimpse of what life is like for the family of a military man when he is on assignment for long periods of time and they remain on the base. But they also get to know and love Piper, a middle sister who does her best to make friends wherever her family is stationed.

The book also makes use of its setting in Pensacola, Florida, to help readers learn something of the area. Piper and her family take short vacations to the beach and to New Orleans, with descriptions of each place that may help to spark interest in learning more about them. It all ties into a navy family's exploration of a new area they move into and adapt to.

Younger readers in particular will be able to identify with Piper's desire to win the prize at the pet show she puts on and the conflicts that arise with her sisters. Now, I'm inspired to go back and read the first book in this series, Piper Reed, Navy Brat.

How can Piper win a contest when her dog is too difficult to train?
Piper's father is gone again in the Navy, but Piper has lots to keep her busy at home - including a pet talent show that she's determined to win in Kimberly Willis Holt's PIPER REED: THE GREAT GYPSY. Unfortunately her dog is nearly unteachable: how can Piper win a contest when her dog is too difficult to train? A fun tale evolves.