Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Highly recommended particulary for the under 18 and older than 12 crowd. This is the book that convinced my sixth grade self that I wasn't uncool for spending so much time reading and dreaming. For if those things were satisfying for Francie Nolan they were good enough for me. I loved the quiet pathos of the book. Francie's mother's determination to teach her children with nightly readings of William Shakespeare and the Bible are in stark contrast to their father's devil may care attitude. Her father encouraged Francie to dream big .. her mother taught her that dreams are fine as long as you keep one foot on the ground. I think this book is equally compelling for adults. There are adult situations. Situations like alcoholism , deviant behavior, and death that serve as a perfect way to introduce and discuss these matters with young tweens and teens. It has been almost 80 years since publication but the novel has aged very well. After 40 years and rereadimg the book countless times Framcie Nolan is still my literary friend. This book is simply marvelous.