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Sencillamente Henry (2008)

by Michelle Magorian(Favorite Author)

4.08 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

8497543823 (ISBN13: 9788497543828)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Oniro

review 1: I like this book, but not quite as much as the author's "Goodnight, Mr. Tom". This one, like her others is set around WWII, or just after. Henry is a 15-year-old boy who has been very sheltered. He is put wiht 2 boys he feels are not his equal for a school project, and what he learns after this starts his growing up. The book is a bit long, and could have been shortened some, but there's a lot going on. The author's biography states the books are for young people, but I really enjoy her writing. One note, there's a movie made from this book....I'm glad I read the book first, if I'd seen the movie, I'd never read the book. The movie is like the book, like a fabric remnant is like dress clothes. No comparison.
review 2: I decided to read this book becaus... moree I had nothing to read during the holidays, and when I read the blurb it sounded interesting and different from something I would normally read.The category this book completes would be the book that teaches you about another time in history, and this book taught me much about the 'olden days' specifically around the World War 2. This category is very interesting as it teaches you a lot about the past, especially because the world has changed so much. Not many people now days know about food rationing, war time and olden day entertainment.The character I found most interesting in this story is Grace. She often referred to herself as 'Grace Grace the family disgrace', which indicates that she believes she is a disappointment to her family, and we soon learn that she had been expelled from a great number of schools, due to her refusing to read. At this stage we also learn that Grace is probably dyslexic, or has not had the chance to even learn to read. Because so many schools have given up on her, Grace begins to give up on herself, because there are not many more schools for her to apply for. In those days public schools did not accept children like Grace, if they had something to get in the way of their learning.Grace is described as being very confident and chatty in the story, but her great character had begun to wear off on account of her expulsions. When Mrs Beaumont offers to home-school her, she jumps at the chance, and accepts it gratefully. Grace is an interesting character because although she could not read or write, she is still eager to learn; she puts her flaws behind her and 'decorates' her strengths.A quote I found interesting from this book is when Henry's teacher asks some girls why they hadn't done their homework, and the reply is "We didn't have time sir. We have to help out at home, and we're always being sent out to the shops." This was an interesting quote because it also teaches us a bit about the past, and how girls were not given as many rights, and it wasn't 'normal' for a girl to stay at home and study in the evening, although it is not only acceptable, but part of most girl's and boy's daily routines, to come home from school and do homework. In the late 1940s, girls were allowed to have proper schooling but still had to help out at home, like earlier that century.The main thing I learnt from this book would be that life now, is much different to life over 60 years ago. As said above, in q4, girls no days have the right to a good education, as they did in 1940s, but they were still asked to stay at home and help with cooking/looking after siblings. Girls today have much the same responsibilities, though possible more homework.I enjoyed this book very much as it gave me an insight to what life was like around wartime, and the responsibilities of teenagers then, as well as being an interesting and wonderfully well written story. less

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