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Year Money Grew On Trees (2010)

by Aaron Hawkins(Favorite Author)

3.81 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1299889069 (ISBN13: 9781299889064)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Harcourt Brace and Company

review 1: This was a fun read tonight. I chuckled at the references to the early-80s (A-Team, Love Boat, Beat It and Billie Jean). I was impressed with all the kids and their enormous hard work in the orchard, especially since they didn't know anything and didn't receive much help. I thought it too bad that Jackson's dad was mostly a jerk. I would have liked it better if the parents had been more supportive, but I suppose that might have taken away some of the accomplishment from the kids. I loved Jackson's Sunday School teacher, Brother Brown, a fellow apple grower, who offers a bit of advice and moral support, if even in a taciturn manner. There is a scene towards the end of the book involving Brother Brown that brought a tear to my eye.This was a great (minus the grumpy, jerky da... mored) story on the power of hard work, of owning your commitments, of follow-through (even on less than 5 hrs of sleep), of relationships between siblings and cousins, of utilizing each others' differing strengths, of entrepreneurship. Written by a professor at BYU. Not bad writing. I expected it to be less well done. Nice surprise!I recommend!Some quotes (probably won't mean much until you've read it):"There was something thrilling about going down the road in third gear [on a tractor] at ten miles per hour, the wind not exactly blowing in your hair, but at least whispering in it." pg 88About Brother Brown:"His face and hands were not only wrinkled; they looked like they had been baked in an oven until there was a tough, brown shell around them." (Sounds like an old farmer from the harsh New Mexico climate.)Jackson is worried it might get cold enough to freeze the apple blossoms. He interrupts Brother Brown's Sunday School lesson:"'...is it true that if the temperature goes below freezing, it can kill apple blossoms?'He looked at me as if part of the roof had fallen on his head. He paused, blinked hard, and said impatiently, 'Uh, yes, that's true.''Well, what are you supposed to do about it?''Not much you can do,' he replied irritably in his croaky voice.'What about praying? Does that help?'He paused uncomfortably. I would have thought that a Sunday School teacher was supposed to automatically say yes. He shifted from side to side and looked down. He finally raised his head and looked me square in the eyes. I waited for a deep, profound answer. Slowly he said, 'Sometimes.' The wrinkles on his face looked tired and deep.We stared at each other wordlessly. I bit my lip and asked, 'Well, do you pray for your trees? My voice cracked a little on the last words.This time he didn't hesitate and said more strongly, 'Yes.'" pg 122-123"I was fourteen years old, and I wasn't sure I had really meant anything I had prayed before. I knew I wasn't supposed to think about prayers as magic or wishing or anything, but I guess that's what it had felt like in the past. That night when I was alone, I prayed like I was lost, begging for a way home." pg 124Before Jackson and his cousin start spraying the trees with Diazanon, which the thought of all that residue on those two boys really creeped me out. Just sayin'. ;)"How dangerous could it be? Brother Brown was still alive, and he must have been doing it for fifty years. For all I knew, though, he was twenty and the poison was just making him look old. Maybe it was affecting his voice too." :)I thought it was interesting that after the summer working in the orchard all day, Jackson actually hated returning to school, his classes seemed like a waste of time, everyone around him was immature. "I wanted to jump up and scream, 'I've got real work to do!' and run home to the orchard." Kids need real, authentic work that contributes to the well-being of the family. They need to feel needed, that their work matters. Not that they should stop going to school, but I thought the passage illustrated the shift that had occurred.
review 2: Loved this book! It is a simple, practical story yet full of wisdom. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and thought the author did a good job capturing how regular kids would think and feel. In addition, the hand drawn diagrams scattered throughout the story were perfect and really enhanced the simplicity of this novel. In the end I felt happy; yet, I also felt a twinge of sadness, which I think made for a realistic conclusion to a very satisfying read. less

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