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68th out of 78 books
—
131 voters
The Memory Bank
A new classic from Newbery and Printz Honor winning author Carolyn Coman.
THE MEMORY BANK is the story of Hope Scroggins, who lives with her beloved sister Honey and the Dursley-esque parents they share. In fact these parents are SO horribly awful that one day, when the sisters disobey the rule against "no laughing", they banish Honey forever, telling Hope that she must sim...more
THE MEMORY BANK is the story of Hope Scroggins, who lives with her beloved sister Honey and the Dursley-esque parents they share. In fact these parents are SO horribly awful that one day, when the sisters disobey the rule against "no laughing", they banish Honey forever, telling Hope that she must sim...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
October 1st 2010
by Arthur A. Levine Books
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Author Carolyn Coman and illustrator Rob Shepperson have partnered to create a deceptively deep and complex novel of unconditional love, belonging and family. Shepperson’s pen, ink and pencil illustrations are in no way superfluous, but importantly described pieces of the story not told within the text. Reminiscent of classic children’s literature, Hope and Honey’s parents are emotionally absent, causing the sisters to build a deeply close and loving bond. In this fantastical tale, Hope takes ca...more
via Cracking the Cover
ife hasn’t been easy for Hope Scroggins. In fact, the positive thing about it is her sister, Honey. The girls’ parents are awful. They’re so awful that one day, they just dump Honey on the side of the road.
“Forget Her,” Hope’s parents say as they drive away in a cloud of dust. But how do you forget the best thing in your life? Hope misses her sister so much she becomes depressed. All she does is sleep and dream. She sleeps so much that before long, her parents forget about...more
ife hasn’t been easy for Hope Scroggins. In fact, the positive thing about it is her sister, Honey. The girls’ parents are awful. They’re so awful that one day, they just dump Honey on the side of the road.
“Forget Her,” Hope’s parents say as they drive away in a cloud of dust. But how do you forget the best thing in your life? Hope misses her sister so much she becomes depressed. All she does is sleep and dream. She sleeps so much that before long, her parents forget about...more
This weird novel is one of those part-text, part-graphic novel books like The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Travels of Thelonious. It works well in this book; the story moved quickly, and I was intrigued by the action in the pictures. It worked as something of a mystery through the pictures alone. The setting is unusual--a bank which stores and monitors everyone's dreams and memories. It has a dark side--the children in this story are separated by truly cruel parents who are not laughable in light...more
When Hope's parents leave baby sister Honey by the side of the road for laughing, Hope is so stunned and heartbroken that she retreats into herself, and her parents move on with their lives as if they never had daughters. Hope sleeps in the garage and in fact spends most of her time asleep (her parents give away all of her clothing except for her nightgowns) instead of living and making memories. She discovers this is a bad thing when a man comes to pick her up and take her to the memory bank, w...more
Indeed a strange premise for a book--parents abandon younger sibling by the side of the road, older sibling goes into mourning and dreams her way into a reunion (sans parents).
And yet familiar, as familiar as a fairy tale. Harsher and harder to believe than Hansel and Gretel? Rapunzel? The Little Match Girl?
Clearly this ancient form speaks to all humans, even and especially the young.
A picture book that owes as much to the parallel stories of the illustrated segments as to the more usual word-wi...more
And yet familiar, as familiar as a fairy tale. Harsher and harder to believe than Hansel and Gretel? Rapunzel? The Little Match Girl?
Clearly this ancient form speaks to all humans, even and especially the young.
A picture book that owes as much to the parallel stories of the illustrated segments as to the more usual word-wi...more
After Hope Scroggins's beloved little sister Honey is abandoned by their parents on the side of a road, Hope's life becomes so devoid of love, affection, or interest in anything, that she is picked up from the garage where she now sleeps, and taken to the World Wide Memory Bank, due to concern about her memory deficit-- she's simply stopped producing them. Though this story is purely fantasy, there's plenty of truth running through it. I was intrigued and amused by the ideas it introduced, such
...more
This is another sibling story. An older sister & a younger sister with a strong bond: memory. The opening chapter reveals a family car ride during which the parents drop off the youngest sister on the side of the road and leave her there because she blew a big bubble gum bubble in the car and made a mess. "Forget about her." they said to her sister as they drove away, and she watched through the back window as her sister became smaller and smaller. That opening scene made me gasp! But as the...more
I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program. It looked like a fun book and had excellent reviews. After reading it though I have mixed feelings about it. There were some things I really didn't like and some things I really liked.
When Hope's little sister Honey is abandoned by their terrible parents. Hope falls into a deep depression; she spends long periods of her life sleeping. Then one day a man in a van shows up to take her to the Memory Bank because of a defic...more
When Hope's little sister Honey is abandoned by their terrible parents. Hope falls into a deep depression; she spends long periods of her life sleeping. Then one day a man in a van shows up to take her to the Memory Bank because of a defic...more
I've heard great things about this book and I'm glad I've won it through goodreads "first reads" giveaways! Can't wait to read this to my niece!!! :)
UPDATE!
I finished this book today. It was definitely a good read for children. I only had a problem with the way the parents were described in the novel. However, I appreciate that the story gave the impression that anyone could have a good ending despite the battles they fight in life.
UPDATE!
I finished this book today. It was definitely a good read for children. I only had a problem with the way the parents were described in the novel. However, I appreciate that the story gave the impression that anyone could have a good ending despite the battles they fight in life.
Tough one to rate - I loved the exquisite writing and tender black and white drawings but there aren't many 3 - 5 graders I know that would enjoy this book. Hope and Honey are born to the cruelest, most detached parents who end up abandoning Honey road-side due to her incessant laughing. Hope is depressed, and as a way to continue to see Honey, sleeps and dreams most of each day. The World Memory Bank picks her up for a delinquent account (she has only deposited dreams and no memories). (This is...more
Hope must have some of the meanest parents in the history of parenthood. When her sister, Honey, breaks the "no laughing rule" enforced by her parents, Honey is left at the side of the road and Hope is told to forget her sister forever. Upon returning home, her parents throw out Honey's mattress, sell her clothes and toys to passing strangers and set the dinner table for three. Feeling helpless and depressed, Hope restorts to hiding in her bedroom (she's forced to live in the garage) and sleepin...more
Not sure what to do with this. I think kids will like the book and the format. There are graphical wordless vignettes interspersed with chapters. Starting with darling sisters, Hope and Honey who love and care for each other we move swiftly to a fateful road trip with their despicable parents who hate children - yes it begs the question...- when Honey is summarily pitched from the car for her happy laughter. Left in a cloud of dust Honey's story is taken up graphically.
Hope is instructed to for...more
Hope is instructed to for...more
This would be a great book for a kid who does not feel loved to pick up and read. The story of a girl, who has never experienced parental affection, searching for her sister, who has literally been abandoned by the parents, is touching. I loved the illustrations and how they were so integral to the story. I agree with others who have noted this is kind of a blend of Roald Dahl type characterizations and Brian Selznick's Invention of Hugo Cabret. The story is what makes it - dreams in life are pa...more
This book has a promising beginning when Hope's parents abandon her younger sister Honey and tell Hope to "Forget her." When Hope stops creating memories and retreats into a world of dreams, she is taken to The Memory Bank so they can find out of she is another victim of the Clean Slate Gang.
I choose this book in a large part because of the comparison to Roald Dahl books of which my daughter and I are huge fans. I was excited to see that the book was a combination of prose and pictures, similar...more
I choose this book in a large part because of the comparison to Roald Dahl books of which my daughter and I are huge fans. I was excited to see that the book was a combination of prose and pictures, similar...more
I'm enjoying this ARC, though I think I'd like it better if the pictures were finished, since they are such an important part of the story. As it is, I feel like I'm missing a part of what is going on. It is a simple story of a girl, with comically horrible parents (sort of like matilda) who abandon her younger sister by the side of the road and tell the young heroine to forget her. Since she can't, she retreats to sleep and dreams. Eventually, she is picked up and taken to the memory bank becau...more
It's hard to tell, in some ways, if this was a book better suited for a run at the Caldecott or Newbery Medal. Author Carolyn Coman has amassed a few Newbery credentials from her past writing, most notably in the form of the 1996 Newbery Honor book What Jamie Saw, but The Memory Bank is really told with equal parts text and pictures, making it a legit candidate for some real Caldecott notice.
The story is a departure from much of what Carolyn Coman has been known for writing; that is, realisti...more
The story is a departure from much of what Carolyn Coman has been known for writing; that is, realisti...more
This was such a sweet story of sisterly love and devotion. It was yet another one where the parents are so awful you want to hunt them down. The parents dump little Honey off at the side of the road. The older sister, Hope, is pining away for Honey so badly that all she does is sleep in order to dream about her. Then Hope gets taken away to the Memory Bank to be questioned about her lack of real life memory deposits and there discovers lovely people who make her feel special, instead of neglecte...more
Reading Level: Grades 3-5
"Forget Her!"
When little Honey Scroggins laughs after her parents tell her not to, they dump her by the side of the road and drive away. Despite all Hopes pleadings, her parents never go back for Honey. As she grows sadder and sadder, Hope spends all her time sleeping, dreaming of her lost little sister. When Hope's constant dreaming causes an imbalance due to insufficient memory deposits, she is summoned to the Memory Bank where she becomes embroiled in a war between th...more
"Forget Her!"
When little Honey Scroggins laughs after her parents tell her not to, they dump her by the side of the road and drive away. Despite all Hopes pleadings, her parents never go back for Honey. As she grows sadder and sadder, Hope spends all her time sleeping, dreaming of her lost little sister. When Hope's constant dreaming causes an imbalance due to insufficient memory deposits, she is summoned to the Memory Bank where she becomes embroiled in a war between th...more
I thought I'd let Megan give the first review of the book. My review follows hers.
Megan's Review:
I really liked this book. I like the funny things about it. It was kind of sad when Hope lost Honey. I liked Hope got candy, it made me hungry for candy! It was kind of exciting when Hope's garage opened and she was taken to the Memory Bank.
Kellie's Review:
This book was really different from most children's books. The closest I can think of would be Lemony Snicket's series, but even then there are ma...more
Megan's Review:
I really liked this book. I like the funny things about it. It was kind of sad when Hope lost Honey. I liked Hope got candy, it made me hungry for candy! It was kind of exciting when Hope's garage opened and she was taken to the Memory Bank.
Kellie's Review:
This book was really different from most children's books. The closest I can think of would be Lemony Snicket's series, but even then there are ma...more
This is a dark fairy tale/fantasy along the lines of Grimm or Gaiman. It is definitely not a story for the faint of heart. There are light and fun parts to the book but the overall story is pretty dark...parents abandoning their children, kids running away and living on their own, war, etc. It is a children's book but it is probably not a book all kids will enjoy. That being said I think it is a book that is well-written and beautifully illustrated. I really enjoyed how the parallel stories told...more
The story revolves around the strong bond and love between two sisters, Hope and Honey. Their deep connection is understandable due to their difficult living situation having had the misfortune of being born to extremely selfish and neglectful parents. Since the two sisters are never sure when their parents will put their lives in danger, Hope gives her younger sister, Honey, a whistle that Honey can use to call upon Hope whenever she is in need of help. The cruelty of the parents is displayed w...more
Hope and Honey are sisters who have terrible parents but as least they have each other. Then Honey is wisked away from Hope. Her parents tell her to just forget about Honey. She can't! She looks and hopes and prays but Honey never comes back. Then she gives up and just sleeps and dreams about her sister all day and night til.... One night she is awoken from her dreams by a man from the WWMB(World Wide Memory Bank). She hasn't been producing any memories and must come to clear up her account at...more
Have just started this, and so far in terms of the illustrations it reminds me a lot of Hugo Cabret (which is a good thing). In this story, Hope is separated from her little sister, Honey. Actually, not separated as much as torn from. Honey misbehaves (by laughing), and their parents pull the car over to the side of the road and order her out. Then they just drive away, and tell Hope to forget her little sister. Hope can't do that however, and manages to cope with her loneliness only by escaping...more
I only have the ARC, so I have not seen the final art of this book. Which is a shame and a problem with the ARC, as half the story is told through the art, and it is hard to follow as a result. What is there looks very promising, and I like that as a reader you don't quite know if what you are seeing in illustrations is really happening or in Hope's dreams.
I like the concept of this book, and I like that it hearkens back to Roald Dahl. However, if you are going to consciously do this kind of bo...more
I like the concept of this book, and I like that it hearkens back to Roald Dahl. However, if you are going to consciously do this kind of bo...more
Different kind of fantasy story where a bank stored all the memories. Hope and her sister, Honey, have the worst parents in the world. There is no laughing, crying, or anything! When Honey forgets one day and laughs in the car, her father stops the car and drops her off on the side of the road. He tells Honey to forget her. Honey is quickly picked up by a group of kids, later to be revealed as the Clean Slate Gang. Hope is eventually called to the WWMB to explain why her memory "deposits" have g...more
Hope's parents are not very interested in being parents. One day, they drop her sister, Honey, at the side of the road and drive off. When Hope protests, the parents tell her to just forget her sister. Hope is determined to find Honey, and when some mysterious people come for her, she hopes this will be her chance to do that.
This is a fantastical book where dreams and memories are kept in a special place called the Memory Bank. It is here that Hope thinks she can locate her sister.
This book woul...more
This is a fantastical book where dreams and memories are kept in a special place called the Memory Bank. It is here that Hope thinks she can locate her sister.
This book woul...more
I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I loved the main character, Hope, as she searches for her abandoned sister, Hunny, and her adventures in the Memory Bank. I hated the horrible parents who just don't care about their children and abandon Hunny because she was laughing too much. Why are author's writing about these horrible, neglectful, apathetic parents? What's the purpose? Anyway, this book had great illustrations that augmented the story. What I didn't understand was the extra sto...more
Not quite sure how many stars to give this one. I liked it, but I didn't. It was a strange, fantastic, dream-like book, somewhat along the lines of Alice in Wonderland or Charlie and the great glass elevator. Things seemingly have no rhyme or reason, there is not back-story and you are never filled in on the whys or wherefores of the background. However, the book was very colorful, the pictures complemented the story so well you couldn't remember which parts you had read and which parts had been...more
This read very much like Hugo Cabret. There weren't as many illustrations as Hugo, but there were still a lot. Enough that if you were to skip the pictures, the story wouldn't make sense. I loved that about this book. This unique way of storytelling.
The story itself was deliciously sweet. Two little girls who parents don't love them stick together like glue, until one day the smallest one is left behind. The elder sister ends up finding herself in the Memory Bank where she learns all about how m...more
The story itself was deliciously sweet. Two little girls who parents don't love them stick together like glue, until one day the smallest one is left behind. The elder sister ends up finding herself in the Memory Bank where she learns all about how m...more
Hope and Honey were inseparable sisters, that is until their parents got annoyed with Honey and left her on the side of the road one afternoon. Hope is horrified and can't stop thinking about her sister and what happened to her. She retreats to her cot in the garage and spends most of her time sleeping until one night a man from a delivery company comes to pick her up and bring her to WWMB - World Wide Memory Bank, the place where they store memories.
Cute illustrations that tell part of the stor...more
Cute illustrations that tell part of the stor...more
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Carolyn Coman (born 1951 in Evanston near Chicago) is a writer of children's books living in South Hampton, New Hampshire. Her books What Jamie Saw (1995) and Many Stones (2000) were nominated for several awards.
She worked as a bookbinder from 1975-84 and later as an editor with Heinemann before she became a full-time writer. Her books include the portrait documentary of the debut, and a picture b...more
More about Carolyn Coman...
She worked as a bookbinder from 1975-84 and later as an editor with Heinemann before she became a full-time writer. Her books include the portrait documentary of the debut, and a picture b...more
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“Never underestimate the importance of the beginning. Of anything. The beginning has the seeds of everything else to come.”
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“All dreams can be a source of light...but some are especially radiant. They linger and continue to shine with all they have to reveal.”
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Jan 07, 2011 05:50pm