Surviving the Applewhites

Surviving the Applewhites
by Stephanie S Tolan

HarperCollins Publishers, 2002









Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Honors: William Allen White Award, Kentucky Blue Grass Award, Newbery Honor Book, School Library Journal Best Book, Book Links Lasting Connection, Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book for Children, ALA Notable Children’s Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, Booklist Editors’ Choice, New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Review:  E.D. Applewhite and Jake Semple are thrown together as classroom partners when Jake comes to live with the Applewhites as a last alternative before jail. The story oscillates between E.D. and Jake as they struggle to find themselves and how they fit into the world. When the hilarious antics of the Applewhite family throws everyone into chaos upon the upcoming production of The Sound of Music, both E.D. and Jake realize their worth in ways they never knew before.

Opinion:  Initially I was confused at the weight Stephanie Tolan gave to the E.D. character, but then I realized that even when an Applewhite, there was still an element of trying to survive. The humor as well as the myriad of well developed characters created enjoyable additions to the overall moving plot.

Ideas:  This would be a great book to present to parents who are home schooling their children, to help their kids relate to the experience of the home-schooled main characters. It also might give the parents some ideas of artistic projects for homeschooling.