The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread, by Don Robertson 4 stars

[Joanne]

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread 4 stars

This book tells the story of a 9-year-old fourth grader, Morris Bird II. Morris lives with his parents, his sister, and his grandmother. It is 1944, and his life in Cleveland, Ohio, is a normal existence. He hates oatmeal, is in love with his teacher, and also the girl next door. His younger sister Sally annoys the heck out of him.

Stanley Chaloupka, Morris's best friend, has moved away to the other side of Cleveland. This has made Morris sad and yearning to see his friend.
At school, one day, his teacher talks about things that are hard and about committing to a task and following through with it, win or fail. Trying your best is the only way to go. This awakens an idea. Why can't Morris go to see Stanley? He can ditch Sally (whom he is responsible for) and skip school. Then walk across Cleveland and see his best friend. He hatches a plan and so begins his adventure. Unfortunately, the day Morris chooses to go, things do not go as planned. His idea to ditch Sally does not work. He ends up "renting" a friend's wagon and is forced to pull Sally across Cleveland. Also, the date, Friday, October 20, 1944, is the day a devastating gas explosion will occur right on top of Morris's destination.

As the POV is coming from a 9-year-old, the verbiage can seem simple and tedious at times. However, Robertson knew what he was doing when he wrote the story this way. He makes you feel as though you're listening to a child tell you his adventures. A gem of a book, another found while sorting donations at my Library.

Note: The explosion is a true story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clevela...

[Holly R W]

Joanne, the book sounds charming! A walk from one side of Cleveland to the other side would be quite a long trek for 9 yr. old Morris, made harder by pulling his sister in a wagon. I enjoy books where the POV is coming from a child. So glad that you liked it.