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77th out of 148 books
—
181 voters
Also Known As Harper
by
Ann Haywood Leal (Goodreads Author)
Harper Lee Morgan is an aspiring poet, which isn’t surprising, seeing as how she’s named after her mama’s favorite writer, Harper Lee. And life is giving her a lot to write about just now. Daddy up and walked out, leaving them broke. Then Harper’s family gets evicted.
With Mama scrambling to find work, Harper has to skip school to care for her little brother, Hemingway. The...more
With Mama scrambling to find work, Harper has to skip school to care for her little brother, Hemingway. The...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
May 26th 2009
by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
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When I was in middle school, my mom invented a phrase for schmaltz: Hokey Wombat Shit.
If we were watching television and the plot became mushy or sentimental, Mom would groan, "Oh, please. Hokey Wombat Shit!"
If two characters in a movie smooched while strings swelled and onlookers clapped, the film was immediately filed under Hokey Wombat Shit.
If my mom read Also Known As Harper, she would definitely roll her eyes, put it aside, and exclaim, "Hokey Wombat Shit!"
Because that's what it is. In fa...more
If we were watching television and the plot became mushy or sentimental, Mom would groan, "Oh, please. Hokey Wombat Shit!"
If two characters in a movie smooched while strings swelled and onlookers clapped, the film was immediately filed under Hokey Wombat Shit.
If my mom read Also Known As Harper, she would definitely roll her eyes, put it aside, and exclaim, "Hokey Wombat Shit!"
Because that's what it is. In fa...more
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Harper Lee Morgan was named after the author of her mother's favorite book, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. She has grown up hearing her mother read the book aloud - 36 times in fact, if the tally marks on the kitchen wall are accurate.
For a while it's just been Harper, her mother, and her little brother, Hemingway (Hem), at least since her father up and left them. They used to be a happy family. They didn't have a lot, but they loved each o...more
Harper Lee Morgan was named after the author of her mother's favorite book, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. She has grown up hearing her mother read the book aloud - 36 times in fact, if the tally marks on the kitchen wall are accurate.
For a while it's just been Harper, her mother, and her little brother, Hemingway (Hem), at least since her father up and left them. They used to be a happy family. They didn't have a lot, but they loved each o...more
Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.
Also Known as Harper was another one of those "cute, but not memorable" kind of books that seem to be making their way on to my bookshelf lately. It's just one of those things-- I've been in the mood for light and fluffy books, and I just can't help but pick ones that sound cute. But for some reason, I just haven't found a book that's fluff and substance lately, meaning that I have to write reviews like this.
I liked it. I truly did, but there are...more
Things at Harper’s house are different since her Daddy drove away. There had been fighting and he had been drinking too much and this time, after he drove away, he never came back home again. It’s quieter now. There’s no shouting. But Harper’s mom is having a hard time paying the bills and paying the rent. One day, Harper returns from school and sees that all of their belongings are sitting in their front yard. The landlord has kicked the family out. With nothing but the necessities that will fi...more
1 like · like · see review
School Library Journal (June 1, 2009)
Gr 4-6-Fifth-grader Harper Lee Morgan has a lot on her mind. Her father left a year ago, her mother has fallen behind on the rent, and her five-year-old brother waits every day on the porch for his father's return. A talented writer, she desperately wants to enter an upcoming poetry contest. All of her worries can be forgotten when she is writing poetry or her mother is reading To Kill a Mockingbird to her and Hem. Then her family is evicted and they move to...more
Gr 4-6-Fifth-grader Harper Lee Morgan has a lot on her mind. Her father left a year ago, her mother has fallen behind on the rent, and her five-year-old brother waits every day on the porch for his father's return. A talented writer, she desperately wants to enter an upcoming poetry contest. All of her worries can be forgotten when she is writing poetry or her mother is reading To Kill a Mockingbird to her and Hem. Then her family is evicted and they move to...more
Book Review
Have you ever missed school to babysit your younger sibling? If so or if not enter the worlds of Harper Lee in Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal as she takes responsibility of her younger brother Hemingway.
Harper dreams of sharing her talent as a poet in her school auditorium, But Harper has an enemy name Winnie Rae who sometimes gets in Harpers way since Winnie Raes mother was Harpers mom landlord Winnie knows what is happening with Harpers family. Along the way Harper me...more
Have you ever missed school to babysit your younger sibling? If so or if not enter the worlds of Harper Lee in Also Known As Harper by Ann Haywood Leal as she takes responsibility of her younger brother Hemingway.
Harper dreams of sharing her talent as a poet in her school auditorium, But Harper has an enemy name Winnie Rae who sometimes gets in Harpers way since Winnie Raes mother was Harpers mom landlord Winnie knows what is happening with Harpers family. Along the way Harper me...more
This is a 3.5 from me.
This is a strong portrayal of homeless families in our own neighborhoods. It is packed with interesting characters, and gets the point across without overwhelming the reader with misery and hardship.
Harper has been very excited to enter the poetry reading contest at school this year. But then her family gets evicted from their house. And her mother makes her babysit her brother at the motel instead of going to school. She meets some other kids living in a tent community, an...more
This is a strong portrayal of homeless families in our own neighborhoods. It is packed with interesting characters, and gets the point across without overwhelming the reader with misery and hardship.
Harper has been very excited to enter the poetry reading contest at school this year. But then her family gets evicted from their house. And her mother makes her babysit her brother at the motel instead of going to school. She meets some other kids living in a tent community, an...more
If you liked Waiting for Normal or Love, Aubrey, read this one, too.
Another great debut novel for 2009.
Harper, an aspiring poet, has had a rough time of it lately. Her soon-to-be baby sister is stillborn, then her dad takes to drinking heavily and eventually leaves the family. Her brother, Hemingway, waits each night on the porch for dad to reappear, but Harper (full name: Harper Lee...guess what her mom's favorite book is?) knows he's gone for good. Her mom desperately tries to make ends meet t...more
Another great debut novel for 2009.
Harper, an aspiring poet, has had a rough time of it lately. Her soon-to-be baby sister is stillborn, then her dad takes to drinking heavily and eventually leaves the family. Her brother, Hemingway, waits each night on the porch for dad to reappear, but Harper (full name: Harper Lee...guess what her mom's favorite book is?) knows he's gone for good. Her mom desperately tries to make ends meet t...more
It’s the most exciting time of the year for fifth grader Harper Lee Morgan. The poetry contest is coming. But when Harper gets home one day from school, all their things are out on their front lawn. Mama’s been having a hard time paying the bills, but Harper just can’t believe the landlord would throw them outside like that. They pack up as much of their things as they can and move into a motel room. The next day, Mama asks Harper to watch her little brother instead of going to school. Harper ca...more
After Harper Lee Morgan, her little brother Hemingway (Hem for short), and their mom are evicted for not paying the rent, they move temporarily to a nearby cheap roadside motel. Because her mom is working extra hours trying to earn enough money to get them out of this fix, Harper Lee is forced to stay out of school to babysit her little brother, a particular onerous situation because this is the week that the entries for the Whaley County Poetry Contest are due at school.
Harper Lee, you see, is...more
Harper Lee, you see, is...more
ALSO KNOWN AS HARPER is a book I'm excited to share with my middle school students for a few reasons. First, the characters Ann Haywood Leal has created here are some of the most memorable I've met in a long time. Harper, with her book of poems, her larger-than-life heart, and her mixed up feelings about her alcoholic father, has been dealt some rough blows as the novel opens. Her family is close to homeless, her mother keeps her home from school to babysit, and still, she's able to reach out to...more
Wow. What a beautiful book for middle grade readers. Difficult topics are covered in a sensitive manner: homelessness, alcohalism, infant mortality...Such big lessons for little readers. I also liked how the characters were so complex. The complexity of many of them can be really explored through a read aloud.
Harper is a writer. How can she not be with a name like HARPER LEE? Her mother works tirelessly cleaning houses, trying to keep Harper and her brother Hem (short for Hemingway), together si...more
Harper is a writer. How can she not be with a name like HARPER LEE? Her mother works tirelessly cleaning houses, trying to keep Harper and her brother Hem (short for Hemingway), together si...more
Harper Lee can't wait for the poetry contest at school. She is sure she will win, as poems are always flowing from her mind into the notebook she carries around. Then one day after school she arrives home to find the contents of the house she shares with her mother and her brother, Hemingway, scattered throughout the yard. Ever since her father left, Harper's mother had been working multiple jobs at a time to provide for the kids.
After being kicked out, they move into a local motel. Then her mo...more
After being kicked out, they move into a local motel. Then her mo...more
I think this book is really good. I wonder why Winnie Rea is constsntly giving Haper Lee a hard time. THne one day,m she come home from school and all of her stuff is on her front lawn. They were evicted. I was so sad because they are struggling and the Early's don't care. Mrs. Early just love to see Harper's mom hurt. THne when they get their stuff situsted, they are forced to move their stuff. So they go to The Knotty Pine Luxury Motor Hotel. As soon as they get there, they start to bring the...more
Fifth grade is tough enough without taking on the problem at home. Harper Lee Morgan is no stranger to problems at home. Her father who drinks too much has left the family. This has forced her mother to try to find extra work. It doesn’t matter how hard she has tried, their landlady want all of the back rent or wants them out. To make matters worse the landlady lives next door and her snotty daughter, Winnie Rae is one of Harper’s classmates. She seems determined to put Harper down as often as p...more
Harper Lee Morgan is older than her fifth grade age. She is a responsible older sister to brother Hemingway, who she is helping to learn to read and write. Harper loves writing poetry, and keeps a notebook full of poems with her. She's particularly looking forward to reading some of her poems to her whole school at a poetry reading that's coming up. But when her mother's inability to pay the rent on their house catches up with them, and the mean landlady (who has an equally mean daughter, Winnie...more
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p243 grades 5-8
Subject matter for mature readers.
realistic fiction, poverty, homelessness, family, friendship, death, single parents, alcoholism, tragedy.
Story of a family that falls apart and spirals into poverty, eviction, and homelessness. The father developed alcoholism and has run away and left them penniless. Mother is a house cleaner struggling to feed the family and not able to pay rent. They are evicted and the family must leave everything behind and take only what fits into their car....more
Subject matter for mature readers.
realistic fiction, poverty, homelessness, family, friendship, death, single parents, alcoholism, tragedy.
Story of a family that falls apart and spirals into poverty, eviction, and homelessness. The father developed alcoholism and has run away and left them penniless. Mother is a house cleaner struggling to feed the family and not able to pay rent. They are evicted and the family must leave everything behind and take only what fits into their car....more
Harper Lee Morgan was named for the author of To Kill a Mockingbird by her mama, who wants more than anything to write. Instead, Harper's mother must support her family by working as a housecleaner after her alcoholic husband leaves them. No matter how hard she works, she is always behind on the bills and eventually the family is turned out into the street.
Harper shared her mother's gift for writing and has a dream to win her school's poetry contest. Now that she must stay home with her little...more
Harper shared her mother's gift for writing and has a dream to win her school's poetry contest. Now that she must stay home with her little...more
I honestly couldn't put this one down. I took it to work with me one day and decided to read for just one minute while I was turning on my computer.... and about fifteen minutes later realized it was time to hit crl+alt+delete.
It's a coming-of-age novel set in the south that sort of reminds me of a cross between Dorothy Allison and Fannie Flagg. It's got that colorful southern setting and has those great original characters with real life problems, but it's not as tragic as Allison's novels nor...more
It's a coming-of-age novel set in the south that sort of reminds me of a cross between Dorothy Allison and Fannie Flagg. It's got that colorful southern setting and has those great original characters with real life problems, but it's not as tragic as Allison's novels nor...more
Love it! Love it! Love it! Love it! Love it! Love it!
This is one of those books that surprises you. At first you think you are going to get a story about a family that has just had their lives turned upside down and are struggling to get back on their feet. And I would have been ok with that. Well, more than ok. Harper is such a lovable, believable character that you can't help but want to potect her along with her mom and younger brother.
But what Ms. Leal did that sets this book apart from just...more
This is one of those books that surprises you. At first you think you are going to get a story about a family that has just had their lives turned upside down and are struggling to get back on their feet. And I would have been ok with that. Well, more than ok. Harper is such a lovable, believable character that you can't help but want to potect her along with her mom and younger brother.
But what Ms. Leal did that sets this book apart from just...more
I read this book at the begining of the year! OOH i dont know how can Harper stand that mean bullie like girl! this mean girl was even mean to this girl who couldnt talk because she told girl something mean! and since Harper had a baby sisterwho died, the mean girl told Harper something mean about her baby sister.but in the end the mean girl learned her lesson the hard way by criticizing people where it hurts the person the hard way. Harper did have a hard life, until she met a girl who couldnt...more
Harper's mom loves to read, so it is not surprising that she is named after her mother's favorite author and her brother's name is Hem (after Hemingway). Her name is fitting because Harper loves to write, although she writes mostly poetry. Her father has left the family, and Harper does not know whether to be happy or sad. She can hardly remember a time when her father was not cruel and mean, yet now her mother can't pay the bills. When they are evicted from their home, Harper has to stay home f...more
Those who might think that YA is all fluff, please take some time to read this book.
Dealing with the difficult, tragic subject of homelessness, the author shows keen insight into this travesty.
Told through the eyes of fifth grade Harper, we witness the plight of her mother and her family.
Her father's absence leaves Harper with conflicted emotions, Harper remembers her father before the alcohol became #1 priority in his life, before he grew more and more dependent upon the liquor, before his chil...more
Dealing with the difficult, tragic subject of homelessness, the author shows keen insight into this travesty.
Told through the eyes of fifth grade Harper, we witness the plight of her mother and her family.
Her father's absence leaves Harper with conflicted emotions, Harper remembers her father before the alcohol became #1 priority in his life, before he grew more and more dependent upon the liquor, before his chil...more
Harper Lee Morgan was named after her mother’s favorite author, and rightfully so, as she loves to write and is a budding poet. Harper wants nothing more than to be able to share her poetry with her class, but when she, her mother, and brother Hemingway (Hem, for short) are evicted, Harper’s plans must be put on hold. Haunted by the memory of her emotionally abusive father, Harper tries to hold her family together, and meets some new friends who carry burdens of their own.
One thing I liked about...more
One thing I liked about...more
Harper Lee, named after the protagonist in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by her mother's favorite author,Harper Lee, is a memorable young protagonist who will tug on your heartstrings and have you rooting for her triumph. Her father has left and her mother is down and out on her luck. Harper Lee is a precocious fifth grade poet who has to put her own dreams on hold to hold together her family when they are evicted from their home and her mom loses her job. Besides giving a very real depiction...more
Mar 01, 2012
Stephanie
marked it as to-read
This book is a very great book for me. This book effects on me because it teaches me that maybe things wont turn out the way you want them to, but never let it bring you down. In this book it talks about a girl that lives in a pretty hard life without her father. She's in middle or in elementary school. Her father recently left some where one day in a pick-up truck and never returned. She really doesn't know where he lives, and she really misses him. She seems to be really close to her mother an...more
Harper Lee, named after the protagonist in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by her mother's favorite author,Harper Lee, is a memorable young protagonist who will tug on your heartstrings and have you rooting for her triumph. Her father has left and her mother is down and out on her luck. Harper Lee is a precocious fifth grade poet who has to put her own dreams on hold to hold together her family when they are evicted from their home and her mom loses her job. Besides giving a very real depiction...more
Also known as Harper is about a girl who is a writer and she is named after Harper Lee, her mom's favorite writer. Her father laughs at her trying to write and says she is never going to be a writer. He leaves Harper, her brother,Hem,and her mom and doesn't plan on coming back. Hem waits for his dad every day but he never comes. Since now they are on their own, Harper's mom can't make enough money to keep paying the rent to Mrs. Early. She is forced to leave her house immediately. They go to a...more
Thumbs up for tackling rough situations such as homelessness, alcoholism, unemployment, family tragedy. However, I don't think it followed-through emotionally as well as books like "Waiting for Normal" did. Yes, I also found the ending to be slap-dash, but it was also things like drippy Southern folksiness, or that I could not believe that an entire class of fifth graders were excited about preparing not just one, but several, poems for a contest, that had me rolling my eyes. There are lots of g...more
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Aug 09, 2012 01:30pm
All that horrible stuff in one book?
Only if it's Candide.
Sep 22, 2012 08:28am