Turtle on a Fence Post

by June Rae Wood

Supposedly God doesn't give people more burdens than they can bear, but Delrita thinks there may have been a mixup in the heavenly records. She's lost her parents and her beloved Uncle Punky within the space of three months, and though she has a comfortable home with Uncle Bert and Aunt Queenie, it's hard for her to get close to her prissy, superorganized aunt. Even the orderliness of her home is threatened when Aunt Queenie's father moves in. Sergeant Roebuck may be a World War II veteran, but he's also a cantankerous old man who spits tobacco into the plants, criticizes his daughter, and seems to resent Delrita.Delrita tries to find outside distractions--being a Teen Buddy for retarded Joey and developing her friendship with Avanelle and Tree Shackleford and their big, loving family, but she needs a place to hang her heart. It isn't until a class project forces her to spend time with Sergeant Roebuck that she learns that people aren't always what they seem and that, like a turtle on a fence post, she can find help in unexpected places.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

264 pages, Library Binding

First published September 22, 1997

About the author

June Rae Wood, the author of the famous The Man WHo Loved Clowns , was born in 1946 in Sedalia, Missouri . "My brother Richard was born [in 1948] with Down's syndrome and a heart defect," author June Rae Wood wrote in the Sedalia Democrat in 1995. "The doctor said he wouldn't live, and even if he did, he would never walk or talk. He advised my parents to send Richard to die in an institution, rather than take him home and let the family get attached to him." Wood, the second of what would eventually be eight children, was only two years old when her parents brought Richard, their third child, home from the hospital. Although her parents gave all their children special attention, Richard, whom Wood's mother called her little "Dickey-bird," was doted on and protected by all the family members. This was not just because he was handicapped, but also because Richard was very special to them all. He would eventually become the subject of Wood's award-winning first book, The Man Who Loved Clowns.

Reviews

[Amanda Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ugly cry of book 1 was completely worth it to get to read this one! Fantastic!

[Lyssabelle Hyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

So GREAT the man who loved clowns and this are so GREAT I REALLY LIKED THIS!!!!

The author is so good at writing we are going to read the rest of her books!!!

[Kaitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite book of all time. I love "The Man Who Loved Clowns" but personally "Turtle On A Fence Post" is my favorite. June Rae Wood did very well with keeping the previous storylines going plus adding new ones with Mr.Roebuck and Heidi, then expanding the story line with Tree...and she did very well at growing Delrita and Aunt Queenie's relationship. I loved Joey too! I freaked when he got hit by the car and when they went to look for peanut, then you find out he was looking for his mom. Yeah, this is going to quit being a review and will just be me rambling in a few seconds so I'll just stop at that! AWSOME BOOK!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently (finally) read the whole book "The Man Who Loved Clowns." I liked it, but little did I know there was a SECOND book in the series. (How many books makes it a series?) Anyway, so of course I wanted to find out what happened next with Delrita Velveeta. Okay. So there are many things about this book that make it an annoying book, like, say, Delrita's aunt. BUT that's life. This book has the feel and the chatter and the everydayness of life in, what, the 1980s? I like that. I was BORN in the '80s. And the aunt, I think, is SUPPOSED to be an annoying character. Ha. I had never heard the phrase turtle on a fence post, so I liked learning about that. I am also NOT into learning about the war, but I understand the importance of knowing people's stories and victories and challenges, and about our history and appreciating EVERYTHING WE HAVE, and what people have given their LIVES for, so I get the point. I thought that IF the picture of the girl on the front was supposed to be Delrita, she has way too large of legs. All throughout the book she refers to her toothpick legs and the girl on the cover does not at all have super-skinny legs.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved The Man Who Loved Clowns growing up, but seeing as this was less widely available, I always figured I’d never read the sequel unless I caved and bought a used copy on eBay. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover it’s been available on the internet archive this whole time.

I tried not to let nostalgia and the years of hyping this up in my head make me overly critical…but I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first book. Though it did answer some questions that I had after rereading the former as an adult.

[Ashton Noel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed The Man Who Loved Clowns more than this follow up but I still feel this is a good book too. The messages conveyed in this story are so impactful and important. Highly recommend these 2 books.

[Sandy Carmichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This writer can tell a wonderful story about many subjects others shy away from---Sp. Needs folks and WWII vets. She has heart and tells it like it is. Really admire her.

[sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was definitely needed after the first book. although it wasn’t as great, it did live up to the expectations.

[Amy Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good. Turtle on the fence post is a perfect sequel to the man who loved clowns.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great I read it over the course of 2 weeks. Interesting, but still The man who loved clowns is better. I would reccomened both of the books to others.

[Barb George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brought me to tears! Beautiful story.

[Michelle Figueroa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wonder what would happen if you lost the people you loved the most? And what would happen if you were under age where would you go? what would happen after all of those questions were answered? what would you be left with after? This book is realistic fiction. I actully thought I was gonna like the book more because its a sequel to the man who loved clowns and I really like that one.

The setting is in Tangle nook a small town. Delrita didnt like MR. Roebucks (aunt Queenie). Delrita didnt want anything to do with him because he wasnt the nicest to Aunt Queenie but she later found out there was a reason and he wasnt as bad as she thought. So they later ended up being close. The conflict to this story was person vs. self. Delrita lost her parents and punky (her uncle). Mr. Roebucks had lost his wife, and had been in world war 2. Delrita promised Mr. Roebucks to vist him after he told her the story about him in war and she shared secrets with him about how she actully felt.

I understood why Mr. Roebucks acted the way he did being mean to aunt queen because she sometime wasnt the easiest to deal with. I Honestly feel like I might have reacted the same. My favorite party was when Mr. Roebucks told the story about his bestfriend and how he got that scar. I really liked how that part was writen and the description of it.

I liked the way the auther but another character with down sydrome in the book (joey). she made him seem so much like punky. I was satifided with the way the book ended with delrita realizing Queenie did care about her. I wish that she had given more information on what was the ending with delrita and tree.

Overall the book was really good i believe not as good as the first one though. On a scale form 1 to 10 being the best i would give it an 8 or a 7 Because it had more problems but didnt alway explain what was happening in one. I would recomend this book to any one who read the man who loves clowns and loved it or kids who like books that has to do with a teenager having to deal with handicaped people. So would you react the same way she did? Or want nothing to do with him?

[Dustin Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is the sequel to the man who loved clowns. A grumpy old veteran with his own history of grief helps fourteen-year-old Delrita release the pent-up emotions she holds following the death of her parents. if you loved the man who loved clows i highly recomend this to you.

[Melisa Fleary]

That book was a good book to read.I think that other people will like this book because I like sertin books and this book falls right in the middle of every typeof book.This book is very nice to read and it tells things that you never heard before.

[Anne Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

No match for The Man Who Loved Clowns, the author's first book.

[Dee6265 · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good

[Cws]

WW2-Woo

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book, but it's sad!! D:

[Jhale · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a good book but it had some inappropriate things in it.

[Elizabeth]

Just like the man who loved clowns, i loved this book(:

[Lori Peters]

It is amazing to see Delrita transform!