Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The People in Pineapple Place

Every now and then I discover a fantastic book that I know I'll love forever. I found one today. It's called The People in Pineapple Place and was written by Anne Spencer Lindbergh (the daughter of Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh). It was originally published in 1982.

It's a fantasy set in Washington D.C. about a street of people that are only visible to newcomer August Brown. August gets frustrated that no one else can see the wonderful world he's found (wouldn't you?) but he has great adventures with the (mostly) invisible children of Pineapple Place.

Why did I love it so much? It's timeless and believable in the way a good fantasy should be. It's set in my hometown and I just loved the descriptions of places I know well, such as the National Gallery and the carousel at Glen Echo Park. The characters were endearing. It had a terrific ending. And, most importantly, I could see kids reading this book and loving it as much as I did.

6 comments:

  1. I've seen this at the library and wanted to check it out (the cover is very appealing, too)--now I definitely will. I love reading locally.

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  2. Anamaria- This is a book I've been meaning to read for a long time. It's been recommended to me several times. I'm glad I finally read it! I love local books too.

    The cover of the edition I read was illustrated by Marla Frazee, and you're right it's very appealing. It also completely captures the spirit and characters of the book.

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  3. I was just in D.C. two weeks ago - I'll have to pick up this book now.

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  4. Wow, this was a blast from the past. We read this in third grade, I think (I guess you missed it bec. you didn't go to school there for that grade). I loved this book---now I want to go re-read it!

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  5. I've loved this book ever since it came out. I've read it to numerous classes and students are enthralled with the story. Now that I am teaching older kids, I haven't thought of it in years. It is fun to see it still has appeal.

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  6. Hi,

    Thanks for sharing....
    I will check it out

    Have a great day,
    Milou

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