Tolan, S. S. (2002). Surviving the Applewhites. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.Surviving the Applewhites is a comical story jam-packed with interesting and unusual characters. Although I found the book to be somewhat forgettable, it was an enjoyable read. In my opinion, the quirky characters are what "make" the book. E.D. alone is fabulous - she is spunky and independent - a great role model for young female readers. Jake Semple, on the other hand is determined to be "bad". It is interesting to see Jake change throughout the story and notice his talents as they slowly begin to surface. One reason that I found this book so entertaining is because of the home-school setting. I was homeschooled from the 1st grade through 8th grade. I always find it interesting to see how books/movies portray homeschooling and compare those portrayals with my own experiences.
If I were to compare Surviving the Applewhites and Al Capone Does My Shirts (the other Newbery Honor book included in this blog) I would first note that both books have several extraordinarily strong characters. I would also note that both books include humor and would likely hold equal appeal for both male and female readers.
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