book data
47 ratings,
3.40
average rating, 19 reviews
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published
February 5th 2008
by Atheneum
binding
Hardcover
isbn
0689874022
(isbn13: 9780689874024)
description
Kaline Klattermaster LOVES his mom. ADORES his mom. But his mom can be, well, a bit forgetful sometimes. A bit lax. A bit...CRAZY. For instance, she's...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 80)
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5 stars (13)
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4 stars (11)
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3 stars (11)
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2 stars (6)
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1 star (6)
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avg 3.40
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in March, 2008
It is hard to describe a conventional plot for this book. The basic storyline is that the title character, Kaline Klattermaster, is starting third grade and his dad has mysteriously disappeared, his mom is having a hard time concentrating, and he is being bullied at school. To cope with these unsettling developments Kaline creates an imaginary tree house full of two older brothers and hundreds of puppies.
When I first started reading I was slightly annoyed by the style. It drops you ...more
When I first started reading I was slightly annoyed by the style. It drops you ...more
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Read in February, 2008
This is a difficult book to review, because even after a waiting period, I can't tell you if I even liked the book or not. The back of the book is misleading, the summary describes things that are basically just the last five pages of the book.
The basic plot is that a spastic child named Kaline is dealing with starting a new school year, his father leaving, and various learning disabilities. Throughout the book you are subjected to his viewpoint, leaving you to piece things together...more
The basic plot is that a spastic child named Kaline is dealing with starting a new school year, his father leaving, and various learning disabilities. Throughout the book you are subjected to his viewpoint, leaving you to piece things together...more
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Read in April, 2008
So, my eleven year old son and I both read this book. My son read it first and said, "Wow, this author really likes Upper Case letters!" I read it and said, "WHAT was that all ABOUT?"
Overall - I loved the focus on a child's imagination, feelings of insecurity, self-doubt and angst in the form of "What are these strange people called grown ups?"
I found the upper case thing SUPER ANNOYING and was felled by a sense of WORRY and PANGEMONIUM (...more
Overall - I loved the focus on a child's imagination, feelings of insecurity, self-doubt and angst in the form of "What are these strange people called grown ups?"
I found the upper case thing SUPER ANNOYING and was felled by a sense of WORRY and PANGEMONIUM (...more
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I thought this book was CUTE and FUNNY. The capital letters did NOT bother me as they seemed to bother everyone else. I loved the RANDOMNESS of this book and Kalines HUGE imagination. I want to LIVE in a treehouse with 100 puppies in it like Kaline's!
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Read in February, 2009
I loved this book! I read a few of the reviews in which people complained about the style and the unconventional use of capital letters. I say those people are babies and have no imagination. I thought Kimmel did a fantastic job of capturing the sporadic movement of a child's thoughts, and I can only hope that one day I have kids with imaginations like Kaline's. And I have a lot of admiration for Haven Kimmel, because she has written incredibly funny memoirs, intelligent novels, and now highly e...more
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Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com
For third-grader Kaline Klattermaster (who is small for his age and started school early besides), life is full of rules:
1. Do not walk on grass!
2. The chair is not a jungle gym.
3. Placemats on the kitchen table must be exactly two inches apart.
4. Your stuffed dog is not real (even though it's sitting right there).
How he would love to dig in the grass, and how on earth is he supposed to si...more
For third-grader Kaline Klattermaster (who is small for his age and started school early besides), life is full of rules:
1. Do not walk on grass!
2. The chair is not a jungle gym.
3. Placemats on the kitchen table must be exactly two inches apart.
4. Your stuffed dog is not real (even though it's sitting right there).
How he would love to dig in the grass, and how on earth is he supposed to si...more
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Read in January, 2009
I'm confused about this book. First of all, I have to say that I did really enjoy it. BUT, I feel a need to point out that this book is probably aimed at 8-12 year old children, and I don't really think they will get the subtlety of the character. He was really odd, but I don't think they will see any more than that. Sad. It would almost make a better adult book. Kaline reminded me of David. Maybe the mom was like me. I'm not sure that's a good thing.
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Third-grader Kaline's father has gone somewhere and his mother can't seem to keep everything straight, but the two brothers and one hundred dogs that live in his imaginary tree house--and his strange neighbor Mr. Osiris Putnaminski--help him cope with his father's absence, his mother's forgetfulness, and the bullies that torment him in school.
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Read in June, 2009
This is the type of quirkiness that I thrive on. Kaline is the spawn of an OCD father and ADHD mother which results in a child that has a loose grip on reality, an autistic focus on bugle playing, puppies and following strictly enforced schedules; although he himself has no grip on the passage of time or the quantitative elements around him. I tried this as a cold read-aloud for a couple of third grade classes. I do not recommend anyone else stepping into this folly. Kaline is such an odd an...more
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Read in May, 2009
recommends it for:
marcia, nicole, molly, charity, hannah
I loved this story. There aren't a lot of enjoyable books that deal with bullies and divorce. Kimmel shows the power of a child's imagination when dealing with difficult issues at home and school. I thought it was fabulous.
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Read in December, 2008
Charming, imaginative story but confused about its audience. It seems like it is meant to be a children's book but I feel like the actual story about Kaline's parents would only really make sense to an adult.
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Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
haven kimmel fans and kids
I really like Haven Kimmel. I believe that she will be one of our most revered Contemporary American authors, when all the drivel has been weeded out by time. Klattermaster is a youth book, but I wanted to read it, anyhow. I thought it was great. I was a little confused over whether Kaline (how would you pronounce that?) was supposed to be ADHD, autistic, or just very funny and a little strange, but I was not confused over him being so lovable. As always, for Kimmel, laugh-out-loud and poignant....more
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Read in December, 2008
Some books are funny and some books TRY to be funny. This one TRIES. But a little TOO HARD. I finished it but only because it was short.
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Read in April, 2008
I loved, loved, loved the little boy in this story. I just wanted to take him home to my house. It shows the affects of grown-up decisions from the point of view of a little boy. It is written in the voice of the boy Kaline, and the author writes from his point of view really well. You can feel his innocence and frustration at the same time, and even though what is happening to him is a big deal, he is very resilient and quite hilarious. I love this kid.
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This book made me feel as if my glasses were on upside down. My son and I could not follow this story, and ended up re-reading sentences 2 and 3 times to try to figure out what the heck she was talking about. Finally, we just gave up and went for ice cream.
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Read in April, 2008
Kaline is a odd-but-cute 3rd grade boy who adjusts to life w/his mom after his dad leaves, spending lots of time playing imaginary games, and emphasizing IMPORTANT stuff in CAPITAL letters (kinda ANNOYING). Well-intentioned.
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I don't think everyone will like this book as well as I did. However, I think that the tone and description of a unique and stressed kid is spot-on.
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Read in March, 2008
I'd be really interested to know what an actual child thought of this book.
Quirky little tale.
Quirky little tale.
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I couldn't get iunto this at all and didn't like the all capital words, very distracting.
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