Lee Kochenderfer

Tessa is 11 years old, living in Kansas during the summer of 1943. Her older brother, Jeff, has gone to war and the rest of her family is working hard just to get by. When her neighbor, Mr. Burt, becomes injured, Tessa organizes her classmates to help care for the Burt's large vegetable garden. World War 2, Victory Gardens, prize winning tomatoes, the importance of community, friendship, and hope. You will find a lot of discuss in this engaging book!

Here are some lesson links I put together for this book, including a chapter-by-chapter reading guide - http://www.teachingseeds.org/1/post/2014/01/the-victory-garden-by-lee-kochenderf...… (mais)

Sweet, kid-centered novel about the home front in WWII. A group of youngsters care for a neighbor's victory garden while he's in the hospital. The young protagonist learns about hard work and the value of friendship, while finally understanding some hard truths about war.

The story is a bit on the sweet side--it reminded me of an American Girl book--but using the garden as a focal point was different. The author also resisted the urge to wrap everything up neatly and happily at the end, which made a better story than a Norman-Rockwell-style ending would have.… (mais)