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What Members Thought

Nicely written, but I felt the plot dragged and the incidents were repetitious, Annie's fears of illnesses and accidents, and the girls' plotting to get into the "haunted house." I liked parts of it, such as the tea parties with Mrs. Finch, and the inclusion of Charlotte's Web, which, however, I thought could have been handled a little better -- I wanted Annie to get involved in the book earlier, such as at the point where Wilbur says, "I don't want to die." I was disappointed with this book.
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I loved this book about Annie who is 11, starting summer vacation and trying to figure out how to make it fun without her brother Jared, who died earlier in the year. Nothing is the way it was and Annie is trying to protect herself from every ailment known to mankind. A new neighbor moves in and has some ideas how they can help each other get through the hard times.

This was a sweet book about a young girl whose brother died. She becomes very cautious because she is afraid she will die. Through the help of other people around her she is able to begin to live life again. The umbrella metaphor is very nice. This would be a great book to read in conjunction with Charlotte's Web.
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I read this on the recommendation of one of my 5th grade students, and I'm glad I did! It was such a cute story. It did make me tear up a little, but I couldn't put it down. I'm glad my student had me read it!
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Annie's family has suffered a devastating loss in the death of her brother Jared. Each family member has closed themselves off to each other and Annie is fearful for her own life. She is consumed by safety and is absorbed with medical books. A new neighbor offers her some new perspectives.
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amazon. A sad yet uplifting story about a girl named Annie whose brother, Jared, died a few months ago. She is having trouble dealing with his death, as are her parents. Annie refuses to do anything she considers dangerous, even if she had in the past. A new neighbor moves in and shows Annie how to deal with her grief by closing her umbrella. When Annie manages to cope, she needs to get her parents to learn to cope, too.

Jul 28, 2009
Lisa
marked it as to-read

Jun 16, 2010
Beth
marked it as middle-grade-to-read

Dec 02, 2010
Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)
marked it as to-read

Apr 27, 2015
Gresham
marked it as to-read

Jun 07, 2015
Joshua Whiting
marked it as to-read

Jul 15, 2016
Kathy
added it

Nov 28, 2019
Julie
marked it as to-read

Jan 20, 2021
Kirsten Barber
marked it as to-read