Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Puffin (2001), Edition: New Ed, 160 pages
Description
When his class of underachievers is assigned to spend three torturous weeks taking care of their own "babies" in the form of bags of flour, Simon makes amazing discoveries about himself while coming to terms with his long-absent father.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Whisper1
Simon Martin and his classmates are problematic. Labeled as emotionally deficit and intellectually challenged, this motley group of "Room 8's" are perceived as too stupid to participate in the difficult projects for the science fair.
Instead, each are given the task of a parent-child experiment. For
What ensues is a laughable, heartwarming tale of those, like Simon, who take the responsibility seriously, and those who give up, punting the sack of flour baby smack in the river.
Winner of the British Carnegie Medal (the British equivalent to the US Newbery award), the author created a wonderful, insightful balance between humor and seriousness, depicting a range of emotions from the perspective of student, teacher and parent.
There is a touching, poignant beauty of Simon grappling with his father's abandonment when he was six weeks old and his commitment to taking care of his flour baby in the manner he would have wanted his father to care for him.
What I liked most about the book is that the author did not resort to cuteness, nor did she feel the need to wrap up the ending in a big red bow of cheer.
While changed by the insights of the difficulty of parenting, Simon and his peers remained realistically problematic.
This was listed in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.
Highly recommended.
Instead, each are given the task of a parent-child experiment. For
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the duration of 21 days each student must tote around a six pound bag of flour and "parent" their ward. At the end of that time all flour bags will be weighed and checked for cleanliness.What ensues is a laughable, heartwarming tale of those, like Simon, who take the responsibility seriously, and those who give up, punting the sack of flour baby smack in the river.
Winner of the British Carnegie Medal (the British equivalent to the US Newbery award), the author created a wonderful, insightful balance between humor and seriousness, depicting a range of emotions from the perspective of student, teacher and parent.
There is a touching, poignant beauty of Simon grappling with his father's abandonment when he was six weeks old and his commitment to taking care of his flour baby in the manner he would have wanted his father to care for him.
What I liked most about the book is that the author did not resort to cuteness, nor did she feel the need to wrap up the ending in a big red bow of cheer.
While changed by the insights of the difficulty of parenting, Simon and his peers remained realistically problematic.
This was listed in 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.
Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member mybookshelf
Science is not the best subject for the students in 4C. Nothing is, unless you count Mr Cartright’s criticism of them: “shuffling around acting a stick short of the full bundle”. So they get assigned a simple, supposedly non-explosive Science Fair project. Each student must look after a 6
The story focuses on the character of Simon Martin, one of the many intellectually disadvantaged students in Mr Cartright’s class. Simon has many problems besides academic achievement: he’s too big, the teachers don’t appreciate the variety of noises he’s able to make in Assembly, and, worst of all, his Dad took off only six weeks after Simon was born.
Now Simon has to experience some of the fearful responsibility of parenting himself. The book chronicles his progress, as he begins to realise what his father was having to face up to. He also becomes more realistic about the effort that dedicated adults have to put into their youngsters, and starts to look at his mother and teachers with renewed respect.
The purpose of the Flour Baby experiment, says Dr. Feltham, is “a simple experiment in parent and child relationships…It’s fascinating what they learn, about themselves and about parenthood.” For the reader, it is fascinating, too, to see how these lessons are learnt, and how the students of 4C respond to the pressures of parenting. But for Simon, the experiment really works. He is able to finally gain some understanding of what his father may have been thinking, and why.
Like many stories set in a school environment, one of the great joys of this book is the humorously written dialogue between teachers and students. There are also some memorable scenes where Simon manages to eavesdrop on the teachers in the staffroom, allowing the reader some insight into the idea of teachers as real people with feelings, too.
Simon’s initial enthusiasm for the Flour Babies experiment is fuelled by just such an eavesdropping session. He overhears the frazzled Mr Cartright expressing his concern that 4C will be unable to look after their assigned ‘babies’; that, in fact, in a short space of time, the bags will explode and there will be flour everywhere. This is the vision that sustains Simon and his classmates throughout their ordeal, driving the story to its inevitable climax, which doesn’t quite happen as Simon had envisaged.
This is a hilarious read with some serious ideas included. Recommended for readers around the age of 13, especially in conjunction with any similar ‘babysitting’ experience!
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pound (3 kilo) sack of flour as if it is a baby- keeping it clean, dry, and never leaving it unattended. Surprisingly, some meaningful lessons are learnt amid the ensuing hilarity.The story focuses on the character of Simon Martin, one of the many intellectually disadvantaged students in Mr Cartright’s class. Simon has many problems besides academic achievement: he’s too big, the teachers don’t appreciate the variety of noises he’s able to make in Assembly, and, worst of all, his Dad took off only six weeks after Simon was born.
Now Simon has to experience some of the fearful responsibility of parenting himself. The book chronicles his progress, as he begins to realise what his father was having to face up to. He also becomes more realistic about the effort that dedicated adults have to put into their youngsters, and starts to look at his mother and teachers with renewed respect.
The purpose of the Flour Baby experiment, says Dr. Feltham, is “a simple experiment in parent and child relationships…It’s fascinating what they learn, about themselves and about parenthood.” For the reader, it is fascinating, too, to see how these lessons are learnt, and how the students of 4C respond to the pressures of parenting. But for Simon, the experiment really works. He is able to finally gain some understanding of what his father may have been thinking, and why.
Like many stories set in a school environment, one of the great joys of this book is the humorously written dialogue between teachers and students. There are also some memorable scenes where Simon manages to eavesdrop on the teachers in the staffroom, allowing the reader some insight into the idea of teachers as real people with feelings, too.
Simon’s initial enthusiasm for the Flour Babies experiment is fuelled by just such an eavesdropping session. He overhears the frazzled Mr Cartright expressing his concern that 4C will be unable to look after their assigned ‘babies’; that, in fact, in a short space of time, the bags will explode and there will be flour everywhere. This is the vision that sustains Simon and his classmates throughout their ordeal, driving the story to its inevitable climax, which doesn’t quite happen as Simon had envisaged.
This is a hilarious read with some serious ideas included. Recommended for readers around the age of 13, especially in conjunction with any similar ‘babysitting’ experience!
Show Less
LibraryThing member timj
The boys of a class wanting to cause problems have to look after "Babies" made from bags of flowers. Great fun.
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Oh my goodness. I had no idea this was going to be such a treat. I laughed out loud several times, and tears came to my eyes a few times too. If you've ever wanted to get to know a bit more about the teen boys who seem to be, erm, underachievers, and about the teachers who try to reach out to
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them while trying to maintain their own sanity, read this. One of the things I liked most about it was that the boys aren't actively abused or abusive. Some may say this book is a bit implausibly sunny and optimistic, but I think the fact that it's not 'gritty' is a plus, and I think most gritty books are implausibly dark. I will definitely look for more by this author, and if my library doesn't have them I will put them on my wishlist for sure. Show Less
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
Although a bit dated now, "Flour Babies" was still a nice read. I liked how Simon developed throughout the story, becoming more caring and responsible for his flour baby as the weeks progressed, and thinking about his own life. There were some quite humorous moments in the book as well as some
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poignant ones. Overall, a sweet read. Show Less
LibraryThing member eas7788
Sent to me by Peggy Doubleday. An odd, charming book. I love the contrarian ending. I felt plunged into the main character's head -- a good thing. I appreciate a story where the YA character is misunderstood by adults but the narrator does not patronize him. Is YA a particularly good way to be
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immersed in another culture? Show Less
Awards
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Honor — Fiction — 1994)
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — Children's Book — 1993)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 1992)
CCBC Choices (1994)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1992
Physical description
160 p.; 7.8 inches
ISBN
0140361472 / 9780140361476
Similar in this library
DDC/MDS
| 823.914 |