On the Road to Mr. Mineo's
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3.8 • 6 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Summer days drift by slowly in Meadville, South Carolina--that is, until Sherman the one-legged pigeon flies into town and causes a ruckus. First Stella, who's been begging for a dog, spots him on top of a garage roof and decides she wants him for a pet. Then there's Ethel and Amos, an old couple who sees the pigeon in their barn keeping company with a little brown dog that barks all night. The pigeon lands smack in the middle of Mutt Raynard's head, but he's the town liar, so no one believes him. And when Stella's brother Levi and his scabby-kneed, germ-infested friends notice the pigeon, they join the chase, too. Meanwhile, across town, Mr. Mineo has one less homing pigeon than he used to...
Barbara O'Connor has delivered another ingeniously crafted story full of southern charm, kid-sized adventures, and quirky, unforgettable characters.
This title has Common Core connections.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A one-legged pigeon stirs up summer excitement in the town of Meadville, S.C., in this characteristically atmospheric story from O'Connor (The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester). Spirited Stella is the first to spy the pigeon, and she is determined to make him her pet (something her parents have refused her in the past). She enlists the reluctant help of her best friend Gerald, who prefers quiet card games to Stella's elaborate and generally ill-advised adventures. But with Stella's older brother, Levi; his "scabby kneed, germ-infested friends"; and Mutt Raynard, Meadville's version of the boy who cried wolf, also on the pigeon's trail, the hunt is on. O'Connor's understated third-person narration moves languidly among the children (and some adults) in town including Mr. Mineo, the homing pigeon's actual owner in a story that beautifully captures the feel of a small Southern town and its residents. Friendship and sibling dynamics get heated at times, but O'Connor's light touch keeps the story buoyant, leading up to an ending as satisfying as a cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer afternoon. Ages 8 12.
