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Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9780375828652
ISBN number: 0375828656
Label: Yearling
Manufacturer: Yearling
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 208
Printing Date: December 26, 2006
Publishing house: Yearling
Age index: Ages 4-8
Release Date: December 26, 2006
Sale Popularity Level: 20453
Studio: Yearling
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Whittington is a roughneck Tom who arrives one day at a barn full of rescued animals and asks for a place there. He spins for the animals—as well as for Ben and Abby, the kids whose grandfather does the rescuing—a yarn about his ancestor, the nameless cat who brought Dick Whittington to the heights of wealth and power in 16th-century England. This is an unforgettable tale about the healing, transcendent power of storytelling, and how learning to read saves one little boy.
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Rated by buyers 
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My 4th-grader son and I are in a parent/child book group, and this was one of the titles. My son thought it was just okay. I thought it was a pretty typical example of modern fiction for this age group -- dismal! This is why I keep handing my kids classics to read.
Another reviewer said that comparisons to E.B. White were out of line, and I totally agree. E.B. White actually created each animal character to be a unique individual that represented human traits. The dialog, posturing and movement of each of E.B. White's animal characters was well-crafted, as opposed to Armstrong's lazy way of letting each character speak for him, with incredibly similar dialog and only superficial singular traits (the duck can't fly, the cat's ear flops over...). One animal, for example, gets annoyed with another animal for using a big word like "nocturnal." Several chapters earlier the annoyed animal had used the word "parley" (as in "discusion with the enemy"). My son already knew the word "nocturnal" but he had to look up "parley." This is sloppy verbal characterization that is surprising to find in a Newberry Honor book.
I understand the "magic" of this book is supposed to be the way Armstrong wove together a story from the past with a situation in the present, but he didn't craft enough parallels between the two plot lines to make it anything more than a ponderous device.
Furthermore, there were maddening loose ends -- sudden appearances of new characters that do nothing to drive the plot...intriguing events that similarly have nothing to do with anything, such as the elaborate whistling for an owl that ends up going nowhere at all...conflicts resolved so rapidly, you wonder why they were written into the plot to begin with because they do nothing to build the tension of rising action.
As a parent, there were two things in particular that really annoyed me. First, there is a mild lusting scene as a young man covets a girl he barely knows with quite descriptive language. This book is supposed to be for FOURTH TO SIXTH GRADERS! It went way over my son's head, thank goodness, but it was completely inappropriate for a novel written for kids ages 9 to 12.
Second, there wasn't a single healthy family represented in the entire book, leading to a very cynical view of the family. Not only are humans regularly abandoned and/or abandoning others, even the animals have broken family relationships. There is a heartbreaking scene when one of the animal characters loses a spouse and children, and it's treated in a completely insensitive way for youngsters who still believe that their family is the most trustworthy source of love, protection, encouragement and support that there is.
Well, that's enough Alan Armstrong for me and my kid, unless we have to read more of this slovenly fiction for our book group. Although it did inspire me to consider writing my own youth fiction. Obviously, it's not that hard to get a Newberry Honor -- you don't really have to work at the characterization or plot. You just need some sort of nifty device like working in a history lesson and a bit of biology and chemistry.
Rated by buyers 
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I enjoyed this story. I grew up with the pleasure of a family life of barnyard friends and I later learned to appreciate history. This story is the marriage of these two passions. I felt transplanted to a simplier time and found escape and pleasure in the book myself. I am not sure the age group marketed will get it but I did.
Rated by buyers 
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Whittington by Alan Armstrong exemplifies everything that's wrong with the Newbery awards - it's a cute book about a cat, not much more. Don't get me wrong, I did like the story, but there's as much wrong with the story as there is right. It does, however, have all the ingredients of an award winner and stuff much older readers than the intended audience can get nostalgic over.
Whittington is the story of a cat who comes to live in a barnyard full of down-and-out animals with Ben and Abby, a brother and sister who spend their time listening to a tale told by the cat. Ben suffers from dyslexia, which is embarrassing to him. Ben's struggles with dyslexia are mixed with Whittington's story. This is an interesting approach.
However, there are several things wrong with the story. First, the story often reads more like a history and science lesson, with some of the exposition delivered as if from a text book. Second, it's hard to care about the characters as they are shallow and for the most part one dimensional. At times, Ben's struggles seem a footnote or after thought to make the book itself more interesting. As a father of a child with dyslexia, I know it is a serious problem, but it has become an overused plot device in many children's books.
Overall, this one's okay, but I think comparisions to E.B. White are out of line. This is not E.B. White or anything close.
Rated by buyers -
This is an enjoyable and fascinating book. My 2 children (7 & 4) are reading this with me in school. Some of the language is a little mature for them, yet their interest and attention are still held. They like the dynamics between the animals and just like Charlotte's Web, they seem amused that the animals can talk.
Rated by buyers -
this book grabbed my attention and wouldent let go it was a cute book but it kinda was like charlets web but with a cat but it was preatty entertaining
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