100 Days and 99 Nights

by Alan Madison

Dad says because of the army he stood shoulder to shoulder with polar bears and watched the sun rise over the frozen fields of Alaska, which sounds really exciting. And because of the Army he slept in sludge, shoulder to shoulder with snakes and watched the sun set over the swamps of Alabama -- which does not.

In a timely, but not politically charged way, author Alan Madison looks at the way a family copes with having a parent away on a 100 day, 99 night military tour of duty through the eyes of the very loveable Esmerelda (Esme) Swishback McCarthur. Esme wants to be good while her dad is away. In fact, she feels like it's her duty to be good. But being good can be hard, especially if you have a little brother like Ike. By following Esme's story, as she awaits her father's return, readers will see how heroism can translate to every member of a family.

Aside from the military families that this book serves, readers who wonder what it would be like if their mother, father, brother, or sister was sent away will relate to Esme's quiet strength and candor and will understand her worry about what could happen. This story has the potential to speak to readers on a personal level and to turn a concept that seems so hard to grasp--war--into one that feels much more personal.

Genres: Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Military Fiction, Family, Juvenile, Contemporary, Young Adult

144 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2008

Reviews

[The Library Lady · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps I am prejudiced against this book because it is set in Alexandria, Virgina and I have lived in the area for 20 years.
At least, I think I have, because most of the colorful local details Alan Madison has put in this book have nothing to do with MY hometown. Especially the nonsense about people around here speaking with a Southern drawl, since most of the folks in this area come from elsewhere. And if you come from Mankato, Minnesota, or Oklahoma City, or even :) the Bronx, you don't sound like you came from the bad remake of Gone With the Wind...

But that's as maybe. This book is filled with stereotypes--people in Korea are all "the color of toasted marshmellows", while I note there is NO color comparison for people in Germany. The language is stilted. There are attempts at sounding like a 7 year old--saying "Hamburger" for Hamburg, but overall, the voice here sounds like an adult male writer, not a 7 year old girl.

Perhaps this book might bring some comfort to kids whose parents are deployed overseas. But I think there are better titles out there for that purpose--if books HAVE to have a purpose-- and a meaningful theme doesn't make up for an awkward piece of writing.

[wynter Diamond prater · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's a sweet book very cute

[Dakota · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about a girl and her father is in the Army. It is showing everything that she and her brother do while he is gone. GREAT BOOK!!

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 Days and 99 Nights is the story of Esme, a second-grader whose father is in the military and must leave for a tour of duty for 100 days and 99 nights. Esme narrates the story and I found myself completely absorbed in her journey as she navigates through the days without her father. The supporting characters of her mother, brother and Grandpa are well-defined and just as real as Esme in voice and action.

For children whose parents are in the military and have to handle this exact situation I cannot imagine a better story to help them identify and express their own feelings. Esme’s story is just as applicable to those of us who have not had the specific experience of a parent leaving for a military tour of duty. Anyone who has had to deal with the absence of a loved one for an extended period of time will feel the similarities in both Esme’s sad and joyful moments.

The thing I like the best about Esme’s story is that Esme does not simply suffer passively through her time without her dad. She actively finds things to do and think that help her move through the time in a way that creates love and support for those around her. She also finds a way to help her father and his fellow soldiers in a tangible way, which, in turn, helps her feel an active participant in bringing him home.

Esme is a great example for children AND adults of the choices we can make to buoy up those around us in difficult times, while still acknowledging our own fears and feelings of sadness. I think most of us usually feel better and stronger when we can do something that contributes in a very real way to a situation that feels out of our control; Esme is a dynamite role model in this area!

Esme’s voice is genuinely that of a seven or eight-year-old. Her frustrations with the things grown-ups say and do will ring true to all her readers. Both her worries and her acknowledgement of her feelings and her fears also resonate with their honesty. As an older sibling myself I absolutely identified with both Esme’s frustrations with and affections for her little brother Ike.

I think this is an excellent option for a read-aloud in a 2nd or 3rd grade class. It’s also a great bedtime/family reading choice. Its advantages for any military family living through a similar situation are obvious, but it also provides a great platform for discussion about what we can do here for the men and women serving our country away from home, about feelings of loss, how to deal with serious worries, and about how families can love and support each other.

I am grateful this book was a Lovelace Award nominee. I don’t think I would have chosen to read it otherwise and I am very glad that I did! I definitely recommend this book as either a read-aloud or an independent reading choice.

[Lillie Baldwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was good because if your parents are in the military and they are deployed then this book really helps. The girl wants her father home and counts down every day.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Elementary fictional story of Esme's reaction to her father going on a tour of duty abroad.

[Lis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end made me cry

[Abigail Wargo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A girl who wants her father back from the war has a big problom comeing her way. her mom needs help around the house but wine something gose rogn she meat need more help thin she thoute. Will she bering her dad home or will he come home. Or will be there forever

[Roxanne Hsu Feldman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I like this one, I have quite a few "issues" as well. I like it because it presents a contemporary soldier's family and what the children go through (fairly young -- 2nd grade and kindergarten) -- and what the mother goes through -- to try to hold everything together when the father has to do a tour of duty in the desert land. The tone is quiet and soothing.

I have issues with the narrative voice, especially when I found out that this first-person narrator is a 2nd grader (even if it is looking back after 100 days...) Highly figurative and symbolic lines like these: p. 92 "... I watched the wall clock's thin black second hand collect minutes on its march toward dismissal." and p. 98 "Silent as fish, we traveled the hall upstream into the rush of students heading home." gave me pause. The adult, writer-y, authorial voice interferes with my belief in this 7-year-old character. (And earlier on in the book where she claims that she does not remember anything when she was 2 or 3 and then went on in quite some details describing certain events and how she felt at the time of those events also threw me off.)

On p. 63, the author tries to be very gentle about the casualty of war: "The days were difficult because that was when you were told bad news. When Principal Pershing poked her partly gray, all-the-way curly head into class we all held our breaths - one girl sent home -- one boy sent home. We were all so very brave. It was our duty." I wonder about how a young reader about the age of the protagonist would interpret and parse out the semi-hidden messages in this paragraph.

The chapter lead-ins with all her stuffed animals from A to Z do not tie in with the chapter each leads in. After a while, one stops caring about where and how she obtained each animal or what meaning each has for her so one could get on with the "story" which meanders (appropriately so, given the circumstances and the subject.)

[The Reading Countess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ordering this book blindly through Scholastic, I was interested in all of the children's books being written lately about the war in the Middle East. I knew nothing about the book, but was purely interested in the topic. Having now read it, I would tentatively place it in my classroom library for my lower readers. I think a handful of those still struggling (dyslexic or ESOL population) might find it interesting.
Esme is a second grader with an A-Z collection, literally, of stuffed animals. Each chapter begins with the details of how her animals came to join her menagerie: "Goat: My dad's best buddy is Supply Sergeant Gabe Sutler. Dad says he has known him since "basic" (which is the beginning of being in the army). Gabe's job is to make sure every soldier has everything they need, from butter to bullets. By accident, a company once sent Gabe a box of stuffed goats instead of a crate of overcoats. This was unlucky for the army but lucky for me." (p. 39) Being the child of an Army sergeant hasn't been easy for Esme and her family. There are frequent moves to sometimes exotic locations, but her dad manages to keep everyone in ship-shape order thanks to his military affection of routines. When her father is shipped out to the war (for only 100 days and 99 nights?), Esme is left to hold the fort with her mom and brother. Will she be able to help her mom and brother Ike, or will missing her dad overshadow her days and nights?
Told with simple language in the voice of a seven year old, I do think most of my readers would not dain to pick it up. This book is better suited for a younger reader than my own who WOULD find the plot and language choice interesting. A recipe for Esme's dad's famous pancakes (with yogurt) can be found at the end of the book, for the culinary artists.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by hoopsielv for TeensReadToo.com

Esme's father is a sergeant in the United States Army. Her family has lived in locations like Korea, Kenya, and Germany. Now they are settled in the United States and they enjoy spending time together as a family.

During one of those happy times her father announces that he must leave for duty. 100 days and 99 nights is a long time, but he knows that Esme will do her best to help her mother. Esme sends her treasured baby blanket along with him.

Daddy is never far from Esme's thoughts. He misses things like her class play and soccer games, but Esme has the hardest time when he's not there to tuck her in at night or make breakfast on Saturday mornings. Grandpa tries to fill in but it's not the same.

At school the students discuss what they can do to help the soldiers. They want to plant a victory garden but that will have to wait until spring. They collect scrap metal and Esme is featured in a newspaper article showcasing their efforts. Daddy is so proud!

100 days and 99 nights is a long time, especially when things don't go so well. Esme becomes angry when daddy's not around. She knows he's a strong, brave person who is doing a great job, but she's counting the days until he comes home!

This is a poignant book about the impact of war on those who are left behind that even younger children will be able to relate to.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

RL 970. A really sweet book for young children with parents in the service. 2nd grader Esme tries her best to be brave when her Army Sargent father does a tour of duty. So much changes when Dad is away-- from the pancakes they eat every Sunday, to the tuck-in routines and the funny stories and word-play. Nothing is the same. So she and her family find things to do and ways to cope with his absence.

Nobody really talks about the fact that some Daddies come back hurt or not at all. It's always an unspoken possibility. It's mentioned lightly in the book--the way it's probably known at home.

Very sweet book. Makes you want to sacrifice and do something special for all of our servicemen and women who are missing their families while they are serving our country.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I have officially given up on this book. The idea was great! Dad is deployed to active duty and his little girl tries to stay strong and help at home. I wanted this book to be good! However, the voice of the title character was just too annoying. I work with young children and I don't know any who really talk that way. I thought the repetition might just be a device to support emergent readers, but no the idea doesn't work. I don't think students would read or enjoy this story. It did get a bit better towards the middle, but when I read "he is the most nastiest person on the block" and that wasn't at ALL in keeping with the character I decided that this author is not worth my time. Anyone else read this one?

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For middle grades (3 - 6), this book tells the story of a military family from the point of view of Esme, the seven-year-old daughter. When her father has to go overseas on an assignment, the family goes through the typical fears of any family with a parent deployed in harm's way. What I really liked about this book was that it was NORMAL. The family didn't have major trauma or drama. They just endured the time that their dad was gone and made the best of a difficult situation. The story is tied in to the collection of stuffed animals on Esme's bed, which are kept in total alphabetical order, but in a fun way. It's a good book for any student struggling with an absent parent.

[Kathryn, the_naptime_reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started this as a read-aloud at the end of the year for my 4th graders, we ran out of time, so I finished it on my own. The story of a military family dealing with deployment, relocation, and life. I think Madison attempted to make the narration sound believable for an early-elementary school girl, which he achieved perhaps in the thinking, uses a lot of big words, though so better for a mid-elementary independent read, but may come across as a bit babyish at times. One student in my class has a brother who was deployed during the year, that our class talked about a lot, this story helps make the experience relatable.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because I liked the idea of adding a book that contains "military kids" as the main character. I think it is important for kids to understand some of the challenges these kids/families face when their soldier has gone to war. It was definitely a cute book that illustrated these important ideas. The main character was a second grader, which I think will make it a little harder for my fourth grade students to connect with, but overall I'm pleased to add this book to my classroom library.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally only read the first chapter of this book, and knew immediately that my oldest would enjoy it. She noticed it on the bookshelf before I had a chance to read it any further, and finished it in an evening + a day.
She is in the 2nd grade, and has a collection of stuffed animals.
We are not a military family.
She has chosen the rating above, of 4 stars for "it was amazing".
Her chosen reading lists generally consist of books like
Charlotte's Web(read 3 times), The Secret Garden, and Little House on the Prairie series.

[AmyLyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm reading this with Ana and Ry and it is a great book! The writing is hilarious (I think Ryan and I are enjoying it even more than the kids are) and the story is great for helping kids understand more about what an Army life means for them. It would be a fun book for kids not in the military, but it's a fantastic book for kids in it. I'm having a hard time limiting our reading time to just 2 chapters a night. =-)

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esme' is what we would call a military kid. She and her family had lived all over the world and she had a lot of friends. She collected stuffed animals and had one for every letter of the alphabet but x. Now living in the U.S., her father is sent on a tour of duty for 100 days and 99 nights. Esme' tells of how she, her mother and brother tried to make the time pass quickly. We have a lot of students who can easily relate to her story. Good read for primary and middle level students.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Esem's father is away on a military tour of duty, she feels that it's her duty to be in charge. That's what her dad would want, but it's not so easy with a pesky little brother like Ike around. Join Esme as she counts down the days to her gehter's return and see just how much can change in 100 days and 99 nights. Ok story line for 2-3rd graders, but not very strong. Didn't finish

[Maelee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt this was a true to account of life for families on the homefront while a relative is serving in the army during wartime. The book offered hope and encouragement to children in particular (aged 5+)who may not understand what is happening during the first tour of duty. And the same age group would learn that they are not alone if their relative has to serve for more tours of duty.

[Kasey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is set up in the media center and the kids continue to check it out over and over so I was really interested in what it was about. The concept was sad but definitely intreging. It may be because it was targeted to 3-8 graders but it feel short for me. Still I enjoyed the story and understand why it won't stay on the library shelves.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

100 days & 99 nights is a typical tour of duty. This is the story of a child dealing with those long days without her dad and the bedzoo of animals that contain her memories. It is definately a welcome addition, as there are far too few books on this subject.

[Kimberly Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cute book! Really wish deployments only lasted 100 days & 99 nights.... interesting look at deployments through a child's point of view. Am going to have to try out their beloved pancake recipe!

[Juliann]

Great short story about the life a child whose father is deployed. Uses the alphabet and her "bedzoo" of animals to tell the story of her life in different places and the adventures she has with different people.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet little story about the challenges military families face when a parent is deployed away from home.

[Martha Netoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maude Hart Lovelace nominee 2011
describes the life of a little girl whose father is on a tour of duty in the military

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if one of your parents was in the military and was called to go overseas to fight in the war?
This is the story Esme, Ike and their family.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice idea, horribly written.

[Lorraine Stinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very typical story about a kid whose father is off at war.