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This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

Every summer since his mother died of cancer, Blaze Werla has created an imaginary friend and subsequently buried him in the backyard. This summer, after the yearly burial, someone begins leaving messages made of stones on the hill behind Blaze's house. First, he sees his mother's name. Later, the messages become more personal. He suspects his father's new girlfriend, in whom he has confided, might be the one leaving the words of stone, but w...more

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This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom. Every summer since his mother died of cancer, Blaze Werla has created an imaginary friend and subsequently buried him in the backyard. This summer, after the yearly burial, someone begins leaving messages made of stones on the hill behind Blaze's house.

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Kevin Henkes, Author Greenwillow Books $19.99 (160p) ISBN 978-0-688-11356-8

More By and About This Author

In this stirring contemporary novel set in rural Wisconsin, Henkes ( Chrysanthemum ; The Zebra Wall ) paints a poignant picture of two lonely children whose paths cross one summer. First introduced is shy, red-headed Blaze, who has recently lost his mother to cancer. Now living with his grandmother and his artist father, the nine-year-old has trouble admitting his fears to anyone except his imaginary friends--until he meets Joselle, an outspoken, spellbinding girl who is staying on the other side of the hill with her Grandma Floy. Alternately showing the points of view of Blaze and Joselle, the book traces the meshing of two private worlds where ordinary objects--keys, spoons, stones, toy animals--carry special meaning. The fragile kinship that grows between the youngsters is threatened by an act of betrayal, yet, ultimately, deep-seated compassion and understanding help mend broken trusts. This story, offering an exceptionally sensitive and accurate portrayal of isolation, echoes feelings and themes found in Brock Cole's The Goats. Henkes, however, goes further in demonstrating the process of emotional healing--and acceptance of painful truths--that allows fear and loneliness to dissipate. His vivid characterizations and profound symbolism are sure to linger in readers' minds. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)

Paperback - 160 pages - 978-0-14-036601-3

Prebound-Sewn - 152 pages - 978-0-606-06106-3

Prebound-Other - 152 pages - 978-0-606-34449-4

Prebound-Sewn - 978-0-7569-5772-8

Prebound-Glued - 152 pages - 978-0-7857-0974-9

Prebound-Sewn - 978-1-4177-0196-4

Ebook - 160 pages - 978-0-06-228468-6

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Children's Book Review: Words of Stone by Kevin Henkes, Author Greenwillow Books $19.99 (160p) ISBN 978-0-688-11356-8

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Kevin Henkes, Author Greenwillow Books $19.99 (160p) ISBN 978-0-688-11356-8 More By and About This Author In this stirring contemporary novel set in rural Wisconsin, Henkes ( Chrysanthemum ; The Zebra Wall ) paints a poignant picture of two lonely children whose paths cross one summer.

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The theme of this story is to teach you that some people who do bad things just need friends to help them through rough things going on in their life.

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At the beginning of the story Joselle was a snoody, bratty, nasty girl who just wanted to torture Blaze with the words of stone. Over the summer though spending time with Blaze, she wasn't a liar anymore, she was proud and understanding, and she now knows right from wrong. Blaze turned her into a nice person just by spending the summer with her.

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Blaze and Claire are bonding more and more and she keeps on feeling more like his mom every day. One morning Blaze wakes up and finds "I'm Sorry" written on the hill in stone. He could tell Joselle wrote them and he decided to show his dad he was so happy.

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my brother gets

Infantile when he

doesn't get his

way.

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I watched my cat run away from my dogs and then she preened herself.

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My little brother is the most

Languid and la 9 year old living on this

Earth.

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I have

Chaurtrus

Socks

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Shaggy is a very rangy and slender cartoon character who likes to eat.

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I gessoed and plastered the canvas.

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Ever since Blaze couldn't ride the Ferris wheel after the fire, each year he would get a new imaginary freind to help him ride the ferris wheel. They fail every time. when Joselle came along, he didn't need them anymore.

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Blaze has always had irrational

Fears. One of them is big dogs.

One day Joselle asks if he can

Come To Floy's house. Blaze

Hesitates, then refuses. So

Joselle grabs him by the arm,

Almost dragging him when they

get to Floy's

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While Blaze and Joselle are dancing in the rain Blaze sees all of the words of stone written on Joselle's leg. Blaze now knows who wrote those words and he gets furious. After not seeing her for a while though, he starts to miss her. He then forgives her entirely when Floy tells him what Joselle says about him.

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Blaze at the end of the book gets 2 bronze foxes made by Claire. This represents the new strong loving relationship that he has now got with Claire, Joselle, and his family.

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Joselle is having a very difficult life and she just wants to have someone have a worse life then her. She decides to complicate the life of Blaze Werla. She spells the name of Blaze's dead mom in stone outside his window.

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Blaze and his father Glenn live

Along  with his grandmother

Nova in Wisconsin. They live

in a hilly area right next to

an old lady named Floy.

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Blaze wakes up from the night with terrible nightmares with snakes exploding at his feet and his mom trapped behind a door and Blaze can't get in. Joselle drove the bad dreams away by being Blaze's freind.