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United Tates Of America
Best-selling children's book author Paula Danziger brings us the perfect novel for middle grade readers--a touching story incorporating the themes of friendship,loss, love and perseverance.
Skate Tate has just started middle school and everything's changing. Her friends and her school are different. Only her close-knit family seems the same. Great-Uncle Mort (GUM for short) is their center. GUM supports Skate's dream of becoming an artist, encourages her to embrace new experiences and occupies many pages in her precious scrapbooks. When GUM dies unexpectedly, Skate must deal with a very painful change. GUM leaves the Tates his fortune on one condition--that they use it to travel and document their trips.
Skate Tate has just started middle school and everything's changing. Her friends and her school are different. Only her close-knit family seems the same. Great-Uncle Mort (GUM for short) is their center. GUM supports Skate's dream of becoming an artist, encourages her to embrace new experiences and occupies many pages in her precious scrapbooks. When GUM dies unexpectedly, Skate must deal with a very painful change. GUM leaves the Tates his fortune on one condition--that they use it to travel and document their trips.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
7 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Paula Danziger
116 books352 followersPaula Danziger was an American children's author. She wrote more than 30 books, including her 1974 debut The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, for children's and young adult audiences. At the time of her death, all her books were still in print; they had been published in 53 countries and translated into 14 languages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 4, 2022
I have the same complaint the mother of the narrator does: too many exclamation points!
January 23, 2009
A little (too) cute, but the scrapbook component might interest some girls.
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December 1, 2010OMG! THIS BOOK IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE <3 im not gonna say what its about but check it out! i have read it 5 times and each and everytime was worth it:)
March 27, 2022
I had previously listened to the audiobook edition of this book and loved it. After learning from the author's afterward, voiced by Paula Danziger herself (who also voiced Mrs. Lipschitz) that the original print book included scrapbook art, I reserved and borrowed the book from the public library so I could see it in that format. I had expected the whole book to be done in scrapbook format, but the novel reads straightforwardly, without illustrations, and the multi-page scrapbook appears at the back. I decided to read the entire book again (in print this time) before looking at the scrapbook so that it would all be fresh in my mind. Even though I'd only listened to the audiobook a few weeks ago, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book again today, and the scrapbook at the end was well worth looking at. The print edition also includes a list of the supplies used in the scrapbook art and pages of acknowledgements, thanks, and biographical information about Paula Danziger which were not included in the audiobook. Disappointingly, it does _not_ include the same afterword by Paula Danziger that I had heard on the audiobook, which gave a lot of insight into the way she came to write the book in the first place, as well as referencing the scrapbook art. Perhaps that afterward might appear in a later edition of the print book, or perhaps it was created especially for the audio version. I'm not sure, but I'm very glad I listened to the audiobook version first so that I got to hear all about the background of the story.
October 11, 2018
I picked this up because it was a Full Cast Audio production, and they do a great job with audiobooks. Anyone who has listened to the Wild Mage series by Tamora Pierce will recognize 2 of the voices immediately.
That being said, I don't think the book had a lot to do with travel, more with coping with life changes, the quirkiness of any family, growing up, and loss. The family is just starting their travel adventures at the very end of the book, so it feels like an afterthought. The author mentions she was planning 50 books initially, and I can't even imagine staying interested that long.
It was a solid kid's book, not too exciting or drama filled.
That being said, I don't think the book had a lot to do with travel, more with coping with life changes, the quirkiness of any family, growing up, and loss. The family is just starting their travel adventures at the very end of the book, so it feels like an afterthought. The author mentions she was planning 50 books initially, and I can't even imagine staying interested that long.
It was a solid kid's book, not too exciting or drama filled.
September 2, 2019
I don’t know why I didn’t read this years ago. I passed by it on the Barnes & Noble shelf plenty of many of times as a kid for no good reason. I scrapbooked. I liked to write. Plus I adored the P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More books of which Danziger was a co-author.
My only complaint is that I wanted to hear about more of Skate & Co.’s adventures but this is middle grade and had to be shorter for that reason.
I hope my kids end up wanting to do this for book club. There are so many fun projects that could lend themselves to this book.
My only complaint is that I wanted to hear about more of Skate & Co.’s adventures but this is middle grade and had to be shorter for that reason.
I hope my kids end up wanting to do this for book club. There are so many fun projects that could lend themselves to this book.
October 7, 2021
3.5 stars
October 19, 2016
This was my childhood favorite book. Literally read it 30 times.
March 27, 2022
It took me a long time to be wiling to listen to this book, because at first the voice of the narrator who voices the main character really irritated me. But I got used to it and ended up thoroughly enjoying the full cast audio as well as the story. After learning from the author's afterward, voiced by Paula Danziger herself (who also voiced Mrs. Lipschitz) that the original print book was done in scrapbook format, I have reserved the book from the public library and am looking forward to seeing it and possibly reading the whole book again in that format.
*Edit*: March 27, 2022 -- I did get the print book from the library and read the whole thing again in print format. I have posted a separate review of the print version of the book. I will note here that I was mistaken in thinking that the whole book appears in scrapbook format. In fact, the story appears without illustrations, but there is a delightful and colorful multi-page scrapbook of Skate and her friends' and family's adventures and activities at the back of the book, after the end of the story.
*Edit*: March 27, 2022 -- I did get the print book from the library and read the whole thing again in print format. I have posted a separate review of the print version of the book. I will note here that I was mistaken in thinking that the whole book appears in scrapbook format. In fact, the story appears without illustrations, but there is a delightful and colorful multi-page scrapbook of Skate and her friends' and family's adventures and activities at the back of the book, after the end of the story.
July 5, 2013
*This review pertains to the audiobook version of this title*
As Danziger explains in the Author's Note, her original concept was to write a 50-book series about the Tate family that followed them on their travels to the 50 states. In many ways, this felt more like a prequel to these 50 books, that it sounds like she no longer plans to write, than the stand-alone novel it appears to be.
Skate Tate begins 6th grade and middle school, a big change that she hopes to temper by keeping as many of the other elements of her life the same--same best friend, afternoon routine, family life, hobbies, etc. Instead, her best friend-and-cousin Susie has found a new best friend and is pursuing other interests at school, so they don't get to spend as much time together and Skate feels abandoned. We hear briefly about their close friendship, but it is pushed aside by the second day of the story, so it's hard to feel Skate's loss too deeply. The relationship between Skate and other characters, especially her Great Uncle Mort ("GUM") and sister, are much more developed and the reader feels a connection with these characters that makes the eventual loss of GUM strike more deeply and personally. GUM's will specifies that money he leaves to the Tate family is to be used for traveling, as seeing the world was a special interest of GUM's that he wanted to continue to share with the family. Hence the title of the book, also used within the pages as the title of a travel column Skate will write for her school's newspaper.
Danziger's ability to capture the language and behavior of kids is evident in the way she portrays characters, especially during scenes set at Biddle Middle School. I especially enjoyed the DDT (Donald Duck Trio), three best friends named Huey, Dewey, and Louie who communicated in duck language and made me laugh out loud. The character voices were strong and individual, though the plot seemed unsure of itself. The loss-of-best-friend theme was weakly portrayed (for a better example, see Eleven by Lauren Myracle); the travel/United Tates theme was left for the very end and hardly engaged with at all, as the family only made one trip (from New Jersey to Plymouth, Massachusetts, so not even very far!); and the loss-of-family member theme, was somewhat realistic but also shortchanged by heightened foreshadowing that Skate seemed to completely miss as well as the brevity of the story. I enjoyed beginning to get to know these characters and hope for an opportunity to become better acquainted with them through future novels, as this single story simply felt too short to accomplish what it set out to do. Perhaps the print version, with its scrapbook pages, did a better job?
As Danziger explains in the Author's Note, her original concept was to write a 50-book series about the Tate family that followed them on their travels to the 50 states. In many ways, this felt more like a prequel to these 50 books, that it sounds like she no longer plans to write, than the stand-alone novel it appears to be.
Skate Tate begins 6th grade and middle school, a big change that she hopes to temper by keeping as many of the other elements of her life the same--same best friend, afternoon routine, family life, hobbies, etc. Instead, her best friend-and-cousin Susie has found a new best friend and is pursuing other interests at school, so they don't get to spend as much time together and Skate feels abandoned. We hear briefly about their close friendship, but it is pushed aside by the second day of the story, so it's hard to feel Skate's loss too deeply. The relationship between Skate and other characters, especially her Great Uncle Mort ("GUM") and sister, are much more developed and the reader feels a connection with these characters that makes the eventual loss of GUM strike more deeply and personally. GUM's will specifies that money he leaves to the Tate family is to be used for traveling, as seeing the world was a special interest of GUM's that he wanted to continue to share with the family. Hence the title of the book, also used within the pages as the title of a travel column Skate will write for her school's newspaper.
Danziger's ability to capture the language and behavior of kids is evident in the way she portrays characters, especially during scenes set at Biddle Middle School. I especially enjoyed the DDT (Donald Duck Trio), three best friends named Huey, Dewey, and Louie who communicated in duck language and made me laugh out loud. The character voices were strong and individual, though the plot seemed unsure of itself. The loss-of-best-friend theme was weakly portrayed (for a better example, see Eleven by Lauren Myracle); the travel/United Tates theme was left for the very end and hardly engaged with at all, as the family only made one trip (from New Jersey to Plymouth, Massachusetts, so not even very far!); and the loss-of-family member theme, was somewhat realistic but also shortchanged by heightened foreshadowing that Skate seemed to completely miss as well as the brevity of the story. I enjoyed beginning to get to know these characters and hope for an opportunity to become better acquainted with them through future novels, as this single story simply felt too short to accomplish what it set out to do. Perhaps the print version, with its scrapbook pages, did a better job?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2009
Grades: 3rd - 8th
This story combines a number of elements that I really enjoyed as I was reading through it. The importance of family is a theme that is explored from the beginning to the end of this book, which I really liked and hopefully kids will really delve into and see the importance of having family in their lives. The story builds around several themes stemming from the main one of family: knowing who you are, what your gifting is, and how critical spending time with your family should be to you. At its core, this is a story about a special relationship the main character Skate (Sarah) has to her GUM (Great Uncle Mort). A tragic event causes Skate's family to take a trip to learn more about the history of Plymouth, and Skate learns more about herself in the process. Daniziger wisely includes 32 pages of illustrations at the end of the story in a "scrap book format". I do not want to give too much away with the art, because it essentially ties into the main elements of the story, and does a nice job of giving us faces to the characters. The text is easy to follow along, and almost reads like a sentence outline down the page (I think the longest paragraph in the book is 5 sentences long) Very good reading overall.
History/Fine Arts
Lesson Ex:) I would have the students work on a collaborative scrapbook project, using a combination of photos, internet pictures, and drawings to tell a story of their favorite family memory.
This story combines a number of elements that I really enjoyed as I was reading through it. The importance of family is a theme that is explored from the beginning to the end of this book, which I really liked and hopefully kids will really delve into and see the importance of having family in their lives. The story builds around several themes stemming from the main one of family: knowing who you are, what your gifting is, and how critical spending time with your family should be to you. At its core, this is a story about a special relationship the main character Skate (Sarah) has to her GUM (Great Uncle Mort). A tragic event causes Skate's family to take a trip to learn more about the history of Plymouth, and Skate learns more about herself in the process. Daniziger wisely includes 32 pages of illustrations at the end of the story in a "scrap book format". I do not want to give too much away with the art, because it essentially ties into the main elements of the story, and does a nice job of giving us faces to the characters. The text is easy to follow along, and almost reads like a sentence outline down the page (I think the longest paragraph in the book is 5 sentences long) Very good reading overall.
History/Fine Arts
Lesson Ex:) I would have the students work on a collaborative scrapbook project, using a combination of photos, internet pictures, and drawings to tell a story of their favorite family memory.
July 6, 2008
I loved Paula Danziger's books when I was younger, and I've been re-reading a lot of my old favorites, and I'm pleased to say they've held up pretty well over time.
This one is a newer one, written in 2002. It was one of the last YA books written before the author died in 2004. I like that Danziger never shied away from talking about tough issues that effect children and teens (in this case, the death of a close relative). It's not my favorite Danziger book, but it's still good.
This one is a newer one, written in 2002. It was one of the last YA books written before the author died in 2004. I like that Danziger never shied away from talking about tough issues that effect children and teens (in this case, the death of a close relative). It's not my favorite Danziger book, but it's still good.
Currently reading
February 25, 2009i didn't really read this book yet, I'm too into the book "Breaking Dawn" but i'll read it, actually i read the first paragraph. it looks good!
May 12, 2010
Recommend for 3-4 grades. Skate Tate is not dealing well with all the changes that going to Jr. High entails. In the midst of her adjustments is the death of a beloved uncle. The story is about family relationships and growing-up.
September 8, 2008
AWESOME!!!!! LOVEEEE SKATE TATE!!!!!!
October 10, 2008
I really liked this book, and you propably would too!
October 29, 2008
I really liked this book. The characters were fun and so was the plot. I will never forget reading the UTA!
December 29, 2008
I really enjoyed this novel about adolescence, family and celebrating differences.
February 12, 2009
audiobook for the car - I was totally bored by this tween book, and my kids were sort of so-so on it. We didn't end up finishing it.
December 8, 2010
Great so far!
April 8, 2011
I like the book so far . It something like my life just a little bit .
July 7, 2011
good voice
April 13, 2012
This book was good because I could relate to it by going to Plymouth. I like how it's a scrap book at the end. A.T.
August 14, 2012
Skate is a fascinating character in this one. Get ready to be attached to Gum, the uncle. There are real scrapbook pictures at the end of this book that make it real for you!
February 3, 2013
I first read this book when it came out in 2002, and I decided to re-read it. I enjoyed re-reading just as much as when I first read it. A great book from the late Paula Danziger.
September 11, 2016
LOVED IT!!!
March 20, 2014
This is a cute story about a teenage girl who learns about some of the tough parts of growing up. I liked it.
July 9, 2014
Cute book...
From a teachers perspective this would be a good book to help students understand puns. Also a good way to show how a scrapbook can tell a story.
From a teachers perspective this would be a good book to help students understand puns. Also a good way to show how a scrapbook can tell a story.
September 18, 2014
Excellent book--need to read the actual paper book, because it contains scrapbook pages really necessary to the story. Moving story about family, juvenile/teen book.
August 19, 2022
The unique format of this book makes it memorable and interesting. I remember reading it in fourth grade and enjoying the pictures and history nuggets as well as the story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews