What do you think?
Rate this book
The Animal, the Vegetable, & John D Jones
It was supposed to be a great vacation for everyone. Clara and Deanie were thrilled about spending time with their father now that the divorce was final. But they're surprised and horrified at having to share Dad with his girl friend and her stuck-up son right in the same beach house! And for his part, John D. Jones can't stand the arrangement either, especially the squabbling girls, whom he dubs the Animal and the Vegetable.
When Clara falls asleep on her plastic raft and is washed out to sea, everyone is hopeful until the float turns up without her. It's the first time they've all pulled together But is it too late to reveal their true feelings?
When Clara falls asleep on her plastic raft and is washed out to sea, everyone is hopeful until the float turns up without her. It's the first time they've all pulled together But is it too late to reveal their true feelings?
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Betsy Byars
141 books163 followersBetsy Byars was an American author of children's books. She wrote over sixty books for young people. Her first novel was published in 1962. Her novel Summer of the Swans won the 1971 Newbery Medal. She also received a National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The Night Swimmers and an Edgar Award for Wanted ... Mud Blossom!!
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 26, 2016
In this middle-grade novel from the 80s, two sisters go on vacation with their divorced dad only to find out he's asked his girlfriend and her son along. The son is writing a how-to book for children because he knows everything. (He is never bored because he always has the best of company--himself.) All the kids are super relatable in their attitudes and their bickering. Quick read, great illustrations. Gotta love Betsy Byars and her spot-on insight.
September 26, 2017
As a kid I thought John D. Jones's notebook was just the coolest thing I'd ever read about and resolved to begin doing that myself. I did not follow through, but fond memories of this book remain. A great little story about family and friendship.
August 12, 2015
Fourteen-year-old Deanie and her twelve-year-old sister Clara are excited to be spending their vacation with their divorced father on Pipe Island in South Carolina. But when Dad surprises them by "casually" revealing that his "friend" Delores and her son John D. Jones will be joining them, they are not at all pleased.
Though the sisters are close in age, they are very different. Deanie is vivacious and somewhat ditzy, but has an unerring instinct when it comes to how to push Clara's buttons. Clara is awkward and insecure and feels slow and clumsy and boring next to Deanie, and try as she might, she is never able to hurt Deanie as effectively as Deanie can hurt her.
Their first morning in the beach house, while their father is away picking up Delores and John D., Clara and Deanie get into an argument precipitated by Clara catching a sand flea and tossing it at Deanie. The fight escalates until they are screaming insults at each other: "Animal!" "Vegetable!" and for good measure they also throw in rude references to "Dear Delores and her cretin son" ... just in time to be clearly heard by the Joneses, back from the airport.
John D. is not offended. In fact, he could not have asked for a better introduction to the daughters of his mother's new boyfriend. John D. is a self-absorbed, highly intelligent twelve-year-old who has a sky-high opinion of himself and a correspondingly low opinion of everyone else. He goes out of his way to expect others to fall far short of his own high standards, and is seldom disappointed. Clara and Deanie's screaming fight allows him to feel superior to them, and when he feels superior to people, he knows how to deal with them.
Delores, a newspaper advice columnist, has the good grace not to let on that she heard herself and her son being insulted, and throughout the vacation, she treats Deanie and Clara with kindness and respect. She sees that Clara is miserable and reaches out to her, but makes the mistake of telling Clara that she and John D. have more in common than they would think; both kids are smart and like to write. But the revelation backfires, because Clara is hurt and embarrassed that her father had told Delores about her writing and has even shown some of her writings to her.
Clara's unhappiness is so acute that on a day trip to the Seven Continents amusement park, she goes on a wild ride, knowing it will make her throw up, just to get away from Deanie and John D. The rest of the time, she spends hours in the ocean, floating on a raft and not letting herself think too much.
Deanie spends her time suntanning, and John D. works on a book he's writing that he subtitles "How to Conceal the Stupidity That Lurks In All of You."
And so it seems that things will go on this way all through the entire two-week vacation, until the day Clara dozes off on her raft and drifts away from shore. John D. is first to notice she's out of sight, and alerts Deanie, and they end up walking into town to find Dad and Delores and alert the Coast Guard.
Clara wakes up to find herself in rough water and with the island far in the distance. She tries to paddle her raft back toward shore, but the waves keep pulling her farther out. And the weather is turning dark ...
As they wait for the Coast Guard to find Clara, Deanie finally feels remorse for the hateful way she's often treated Clara, and it's Delores who comforts her. She also tells Deanie that John D.'s father was killed in an accident the very day John D. was born, and in her grief, she was unable to bond with him as she should have, and that as a result, John D. has tried to keep himself closed off from other people; he tries hard not to care, because caring about people leaves you open to being hurt.
A message comes in over the radio: Clara's raft has been found. And Clara wasn't on it. The family is stunned and horrified, and John D., in spite of himself, begins to allow himself to feel compassion for them, and for Clara. He sees the way Deanie grieves for her sister in spite of their hostility, and he realizes that he wants to be a part of family life too and to share in the emotions of others, emotions he'd previously considered beneath him.
Unbeknownst to her family, Clara was spotted by a fishing boat and taken aboard, leaving her raft in the water. The boat's radio is out of order so the crew has no way to radio to shore to let anyone know that Clara is safe with them. She just has to wait till they can make it to land.
When the boat finally docks at the marina, John D., staring out the window, sees it first, and sees Clara being helped to disembark. His announcement of "Here's Clara!" stuns and then delights everyone in the marina office, and John D. himself is surprised to realize that he is relieved and happy.
Humorous and sad, the story paints a realistic picture of a family in all its imperfection. The characters all make mistakes and do things to hurt each other, but with Clara's safe return they get a second chance to make amends and focus on what is really important.
Though the sisters are close in age, they are very different. Deanie is vivacious and somewhat ditzy, but has an unerring instinct when it comes to how to push Clara's buttons. Clara is awkward and insecure and feels slow and clumsy and boring next to Deanie, and try as she might, she is never able to hurt Deanie as effectively as Deanie can hurt her.
Their first morning in the beach house, while their father is away picking up Delores and John D., Clara and Deanie get into an argument precipitated by Clara catching a sand flea and tossing it at Deanie. The fight escalates until they are screaming insults at each other: "Animal!" "Vegetable!" and for good measure they also throw in rude references to "Dear Delores and her cretin son" ... just in time to be clearly heard by the Joneses, back from the airport.
John D. is not offended. In fact, he could not have asked for a better introduction to the daughters of his mother's new boyfriend. John D. is a self-absorbed, highly intelligent twelve-year-old who has a sky-high opinion of himself and a correspondingly low opinion of everyone else. He goes out of his way to expect others to fall far short of his own high standards, and is seldom disappointed. Clara and Deanie's screaming fight allows him to feel superior to them, and when he feels superior to people, he knows how to deal with them.
Delores, a newspaper advice columnist, has the good grace not to let on that she heard herself and her son being insulted, and throughout the vacation, she treats Deanie and Clara with kindness and respect. She sees that Clara is miserable and reaches out to her, but makes the mistake of telling Clara that she and John D. have more in common than they would think; both kids are smart and like to write. But the revelation backfires, because Clara is hurt and embarrassed that her father had told Delores about her writing and has even shown some of her writings to her.
Clara's unhappiness is so acute that on a day trip to the Seven Continents amusement park, she goes on a wild ride, knowing it will make her throw up, just to get away from Deanie and John D. The rest of the time, she spends hours in the ocean, floating on a raft and not letting herself think too much.
Deanie spends her time suntanning, and John D. works on a book he's writing that he subtitles "How to Conceal the Stupidity That Lurks In All of You."
And so it seems that things will go on this way all through the entire two-week vacation, until the day Clara dozes off on her raft and drifts away from shore. John D. is first to notice she's out of sight, and alerts Deanie, and they end up walking into town to find Dad and Delores and alert the Coast Guard.
Clara wakes up to find herself in rough water and with the island far in the distance. She tries to paddle her raft back toward shore, but the waves keep pulling her farther out. And the weather is turning dark ...
As they wait for the Coast Guard to find Clara, Deanie finally feels remorse for the hateful way she's often treated Clara, and it's Delores who comforts her. She also tells Deanie that John D.'s father was killed in an accident the very day John D. was born, and in her grief, she was unable to bond with him as she should have, and that as a result, John D. has tried to keep himself closed off from other people; he tries hard not to care, because caring about people leaves you open to being hurt.
A message comes in over the radio: Clara's raft has been found. And Clara wasn't on it. The family is stunned and horrified, and John D., in spite of himself, begins to allow himself to feel compassion for them, and for Clara. He sees the way Deanie grieves for her sister in spite of their hostility, and he realizes that he wants to be a part of family life too and to share in the emotions of others, emotions he'd previously considered beneath him.
Unbeknownst to her family, Clara was spotted by a fishing boat and taken aboard, leaving her raft in the water. The boat's radio is out of order so the crew has no way to radio to shore to let anyone know that Clara is safe with them. She just has to wait till they can make it to land.
When the boat finally docks at the marina, John D., staring out the window, sees it first, and sees Clara being helped to disembark. His announcement of "Here's Clara!" stuns and then delights everyone in the marina office, and John D. himself is surprised to realize that he is relieved and happy.
Humorous and sad, the story paints a realistic picture of a family in all its imperfection. The characters all make mistakes and do things to hurt each other, but with Clara's safe return they get a second chance to make amends and focus on what is really important.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 24, 2018
Clara and Deanie are looking forward to being on vacation with their dad until they find out he is bringing along a girlfriend, and the girlfriend's son, John D. John D. isn't crazy about meeting the girls either, and rather than calling them by name, he refers to them as the Animal and the Vegetable. The kids do their best to avoid each other until a near-tragedy bands them together unexpectedly.
Though this book has a quirky title, it's really a very straightforward story about the tension between kids who are forced to interact because of their parents' relationship with each other. What makes it stand out is the way Byars describes each character and brings each one to life in his or her dialogue. Each chapter is like a small character study in which the reader shares brief glimpses into the thoughts of the three main characters. Byars manages to inspire feelings of empathy for all three of them, making it difficult to take one side against the other. This means that the reader begins to accept friendship for the trio before the characters themselves can even imagine it, which contributes to the reader's feelings of satisfaction at the conclusion of the story.
I sometimes wonder why Byars seems to solve so many of the problems in her books with tragedies. In the books of hers that I have read in the past few years, conflicts have been resolved by a drowning, a car accident, a near-drowning, a punch in the face, and a flood, just to name a few. I can't tell if Byars believes that people only change when life throws dire circumstances at them (something that feels very Southern a la Flannery O'Connor) or if she is just trying to keep things exciting by throwing in these high stakes. Either way, it's a definite pattern in her work, and it has varying degrees of success. In this book, the dangerous situation works well enough, but also I think the story could have made its point just as well without putting a character in that situation.
Compared with Goodbye, Chicken Little, The Animal, the Vegetable and John D. Jones was the better book, but it is by no means as original or well-written as something like The Summer of the Swans or the Blossom series. It's a solid three-star read which is dated, but which might still appeal to a 21st century kid in a similar situation to that of the characters.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Though this book has a quirky title, it's really a very straightforward story about the tension between kids who are forced to interact because of their parents' relationship with each other. What makes it stand out is the way Byars describes each character and brings each one to life in his or her dialogue. Each chapter is like a small character study in which the reader shares brief glimpses into the thoughts of the three main characters. Byars manages to inspire feelings of empathy for all three of them, making it difficult to take one side against the other. This means that the reader begins to accept friendship for the trio before the characters themselves can even imagine it, which contributes to the reader's feelings of satisfaction at the conclusion of the story.
I sometimes wonder why Byars seems to solve so many of the problems in her books with tragedies. In the books of hers that I have read in the past few years, conflicts have been resolved by a drowning, a car accident, a near-drowning, a punch in the face, and a flood, just to name a few. I can't tell if Byars believes that people only change when life throws dire circumstances at them (something that feels very Southern a la Flannery O'Connor) or if she is just trying to keep things exciting by throwing in these high stakes. Either way, it's a definite pattern in her work, and it has varying degrees of success. In this book, the dangerous situation works well enough, but also I think the story could have made its point just as well without putting a character in that situation.
Compared with Goodbye, Chicken Little, The Animal, the Vegetable and John D. Jones was the better book, but it is by no means as original or well-written as something like The Summer of the Swans or the Blossom series. It's a solid three-star read which is dated, but which might still appeal to a 21st century kid in a similar situation to that of the characters.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
July 11, 2009
I went through a major Betsy Byars phase in fourth grade. this is the only one I own, though. (I think I found it at a yard sale or a book sale or for free) I'd have to re-read it to give an accurate star-review.
October 13, 2012
Two sisters are going on vacation with their divorced dad. It turns out he's invited a girl friend and her son to join them at the beach house. None of the kids are happy about it. The ocean drags one of them out to sea and as they wait for her to be found, perspectives change.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews