Every year I have a few students come by and ask for this book, so when I was perusing our large ebook collection for vacation reads I thought I'd give it a try.
I'm soooo glad I did!
I love the 'voice' in this book. This is a book where I fell in love with the characters, particularly Holling and Mrs. Baker.
Gary Schmidt's portrayal of teachers is 'spot on', with Mrs. Baker walking a fine line between caring deeply about teaching her discipline, sparking the love of learning (LOVE the weaving of Shakespeare's works throughout!), and caring and understanding her students.
This book is also a great example of realistic and historic fiction. The characters feel real - not super sweet or 'conveniently orphaned children'. This was a respectful portrayal of the good and bad in relationships among kids and adults.
I know I will be recommending this book to kids looking for something great that requires a "thinking reader".