2021 April: That Scatterbrain Booky/A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

Our April book from Canada is That Scatterbrain Booky by Bernice Thurman Hunter.

Since our members who don't live in Canada may have trouble finding that book, I have included an alternate selection, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
This was our very first YA discussion book back in 2016.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I've read about a third of the Booky book. It is set in Toronto during the depression. The narrator is 10 year old Booky, the middle child in a poor family. The mom is very resourceful but they are really poor because the dad can't get a job.
The book has a realistic feel to it and moves along quickly.

[Annette]

I found It on archive.org

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

That's good to know, Annette.

[John Dishwasher]

I just read Booky on archive.org. It struck me how optimistic Booky stays through her hardships. And I liked her spontaneity, and her gift for living in the moment. It reminds how adaptable and resilient people can be.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

The author based the books on her own experiences during those hard times.
I live in Toronto and loved the local references.
The Sunnyside Bathing Pavillion is still there. It's a beautiful building with a large outside swimming pool.
The Flyer roller coaster is still there too. I went on it once when I was 20-never again!

[John Dishwasher]

Rosemarie wrote: "The author based the books on her own experiences during those hard times.
I live in Toronto and loved the local references.
The Sunnyside Bathing Pavillion is still there. It's a beautiful buildin..."

Fun, yeah the book felt very nested in its locale. One of the things I liked was how one of the streets in Swansea was named after a relative of hers. That seemed ironic considering how they were struggling. I guess that was probably true too. Veeny street, if I remember right.

[Manybooks]

You should NOT only read That Scatterbrain Booky but also the two sequels, As Ever, Booky and With Love from Booky. The sense and feeling for time and place is wonderful and you get a great window into the life of a working class Toronto family during the Depression and the author’s own life story.

[Manybooks]

Oh and in With Love from Booky, Booky actually meets Lucy Maud Montgomery (which is also based on an episode of Bernice Thurman Hunter’s teenage years).

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I agree, Manybooks. The sequels are great!

[Manybooks]

Rosemarie wrote: "I agree, Manybooks. The sequels are great!"

And so is her Margaret trilogy.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I reread The Margaret Trilogy a couple of weeks ago. I loved it even more on second reading!

[Manybooks]

Rosemarie wrote: "I reread The Margaret Trilogy a couple of weeks ago. I loved it even more on second reading!"

Yes, it does get sweeter the more one rereads, I think.

[Manybooks]

You can also find all three Booky novels in Booky: A Trilogy.