Piper Reed Gets a Job
Holt, Kimberly Willis. Piper Reed Gets a Job. Illustrated by Christine Davenier.
New York: Henry Holt & Company, 2009.
149 pp. $14.99 (hardcover)
Award-winning children’s and young adult author Kimberly Willis Holt seems to have found success writing in another popular sub-genre for young readers: the early chapter book. This title is the third book in a semi-autobiographical series that shows every sign of continuing its momentum, even as she writes and publishes in other categories of children’s fiction (including a forthcoming historical novel).
The young heroine is a smart and spirited fifth grader who struggles with dyslexia and a tendency to be scattered, but who is also wildly creative. Piper is the daughter of a Navy officer whose family has moved around a great deal. They have lived all over the place – including California, Texas, and even Guam – but have now settled at the Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station. For the first time in Piper’s young life she will be starting a new school year at the same school she attended during the previous one. But that may just turn out to be a problem, too; does she really have to be assigned the same classroom, the same teacher, and the very same seat?
Piper and her gang of fellow “Navy brats” have formed their own posse of sorts. They call themselves “The Gypsy Club” because their families move so much. Early in the book, the Gypsy Club members realize base housing does not quite afford the kind of space they need to hold their secret meetings, so Piper leads efforts to raise money for a pre-fab clubhouse which, according to the catalog, costs $1999! The adventures that ensue involve learning to balance paying jobs – illustrator, babysitter, and party planner – with schoolwork. Will Piper spread herself too thin?
Piper has a close-knit but also very real family life. She is the middle child, with a dramatic younger sister (Sam, age 6) and a serious, poetry-loving older sister (Tori, a middle schooler). About Sam, Piper says, “Spelling prodigies read and write for fun. Tori wasn’t a prodigy, but she liked reading and writing too. Chief (their father) said someone had to break the mold. I guess I was the mold breaker because I hated to read and write.” Many lines in the book are laugh-out-loud funny, the verbal humor combined with a few slapstick incidents.
In this series, Holt depicts the ins and outs of life for families living in a base community. She highlights the fun and friendships that develop, but also describes the emotions surrounding frequent moves and having a parent who is deployed at sea for months at a time. I think this gives the Piper Reed series distinct appeal to children in military families, as well as a broad general audience.
I would not hesitate to suggest this short chapter book to fans of beloved children’s authors Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary, as well as a possible “What can I read next?” option for those who have recently outgrown Junie B. Jones and her friends.
Highly recommended for school and public libraries, large and small, who serve elementary-aged children.
Victoria Penny
Early Childhood Services Coordinator
First Regional Library
Entry Filed under: Book Reviews
Posted on: August 10th, 2010
