β Scribed by Henning Mankell; Laurie Thompson
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Joel will soon be twelve, and he thinks nothing's going on in the small community where he lives. But he's wrong there. One day, a Miracle happens to him. He's very nearly run over by a bus, but is miraculously unhurt. Now, what do you do when a Miracle has come your way? Shouldn't you show gratitude somehow? Surely a good deed of some sort is in order. But how? A humorous, wise,and understanding portrait of a boy about to leave childhood behind him, this is an independent sequel to the award-winning and much-praised A Bridge to the Stars.
Grade 6β8βBeing run over by a bus and living to tell about it is the impetus that pushes young Joel Gustafson do a good deed. Only it doesn't turn out to be as easy as it seems. Anguished by the feeling that he needs to atone for his miraculous escape, he goes from friend to friend looking for ideas about just what his good deed should be. He settles on helping his friend Gertrud find a husband, which is a tall task since she is decidedly eccentric and missing a nose. Joel runs into many roadblocks while trying to enact his plan, testing both his determination and resourcefulness. Fans of Mankell's A Bridge to the Stars (Delacorte, 2007) will enjoy the reunion with Joel, his father, Sara, and Gertrud No-Nose. Others might be confused by larger-than-life characters in a very simple plot. They might also scratch their heads at the settingβa small town in Northern Sweden in 1957. Also, some of the translations seem more British than American, which could be confusing. This book will not appeal to a broad audience.β Nicki Clausen-Grace, Carillon Elementary School, Oviedo, FL
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The dramatic opening will grab everyone: crossing the road without looking, Joel Gustafson, 11, is run over by a busββand survives without a scratch, miraculously caught between the wheels. He knows he must do a Good Deed in return for the Miracle. So he decides to find a lover for his adult friend, Gertrude. Unfortunately, he messes up big time. In this companion to A Bridge to the Stars (2007), also translated from the Swedish, the author of the best-selling Kurt Wallender mystery series for adults continues Joelβs story in a Swedish village in the 1950s. The cute, good-deed stuff may appeal more to adults. Joel plays out Old West scenarios, tries writing love letters, travels to the βunderworldβ beneath the street, and manipulates the old telephone exchange. What young people will appreciate are the timeless messages: it isnβt necessary to go into a forest to get lost; thereβs no anger greater than the anger directed at oneself. Grades 5-8. --Hazel Rochman
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Joel will soon be twelve, and he thinks nothing's going on in the small community where he lives. But he's wrong there. One day, a Miracle happens to him. He's very nearly run over by a bus, but is miraculously unhurt. Now, what do you do when a Miracle has come your way? Shouldn't you show gratitud
Joel will soon be twelve, and he thinks nothing's going on in the small community where he lives. But he's wrong there. One day, a Miracle happens to him. He's very nearly run over by a bus, but is miraculously unhurt. Now, what do you do when a Miracle has come your way? Shouldn't you show gratitud
Joel will soon be twelve, and he thinks nothing's going on in the small community where he lives. But he's wrong there. One day, a Miracle happens to him. He's very nearly run over by a bus, but is miraculously unhurt. Now, what do you do when a Miracle has come your way? Shouldn't you show gratitud
Joel will soon be twelve, and he thinks nothing's going on in the small community where he lives. But he's wrong there. One day, a Miracle happens to him. He's very nearly run over by a bus, but is miraculously unhurt. Now, what do you do when a Miracle has come your way? Shouldn't you show gratitud
SUMMARY: JOEL WILL SOON be 12, and he thinks nothing is going on in the small community where he lives. But hes wrong. One day, an incident that could easily have been a catastrophe turns into a miracle. Now Joel believes he owes the world a good deed, to prove that he deserved what might have bee
SUMMARY: JOEL WILL SOON be 12, and he thinks nothing is going on in the small community where he lives. But heβs wrong. One day, an incident that could easily have been a catastrophe turns into a miracle. Now Joel believes he owes the world a good deed, to prove that he deserved what might have been