Book Review of Full of Beans

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer. 2016. FULL OF BEANS. New York, NY: Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. ISBN 9780553510379.

 

PLOT SUMMARY

Beans and his family live in 1930’s Key West, Florida. It is during the Great Depression, after the Stock Market Crash. Everyone is struggling to get by. Beans works many odd jobs to try to make money, from selling cans out of the trash to transporting illegal liquor to baby-sitting. The town of Key West eventually becomes the focus of a successful tourism industry.      

 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jennifer Holm does a creditable job telling about life in depression era Key West. Her heart-warming descriptions of daily activities by both children and adults is both entertaining and informative. The protagonist, Beans, is likable and believable. He is fallible, yet someone we can root for. The plot revolves around the world of the children in the story and is often compelling in an easy-going way. One of the best parts of the book is the tropical and relaxed setting of the town of Key West. The reader can easily feel what it must be like to live this lifestyle. While we get a feel for the Key West of the time, we can also sense that some aspects of the story could exist in today’s Key West as well. The Author’s Note at the end of the book provides researched information regarding Key West of the time. There are many vintage black and white photographs that reflect the era, along with additional information about the people and culture of those days. Finally, in the “Resources to Keep the Conversation Going”, the author lists websites that allow the reader to take a deeper dive into Key West, the United States, and the world of the time.      

 

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS

2017 SCOTT O’DELL AWARD WINNER

2017 ALSC NOTABLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS FINALIST

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Young readers will enjoy this heartwarming, humorous introduction to a challenging time in American history.”

KIRKUS starred review: “Filled with humor, heart, and warmth.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred review: “Entertaining and illuminating.”

BOOKLIST starred review: “Readers will marvel at aspects of Beans’ everyday life.”

THE HORN BOOK MAGAZINE starred review: “Multifaceted supporting characters … are all seen through Bean’s refreshingly honest eyes and create a novel as entertaining as the motion pictures he loves to see.”

 

CONNECTIONS

* This book provides an insight into life during the Great Depression and how people worked together to get through this difficult period in American history.   

* Other books like this one:

Holm, Jennifer. TURTLE IN PARADISE. ISBN 9780375836909.

Holm, Jennifer. PENNY FROM HEAVEN. ISBN 9780375836893.  


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