Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published May 2009
256 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Harper Lee Morgan is an aspiring poet, which isn't surprising, seeing as how she's named after her mama's favorite writer, Harper Lee. And life is giving her a lot to write about just now. Daddy up and walked out, leaving them broke. Then Harper's family gets evicted.
With Mama scrambling to find work, Harper has to skip school to care for her little brother, Hemingway. Their lives have been turned upside down, which Harper could just about handle—if it wasn't for the writing contest at school. If only she could get up on that stage and read her poems out loud ...
BookBrowse
This book has a lot of heart, but the writing is clunky, the plot and pacing are not good, and the ending was too tidy considering the protagonist's circumstances.
Also, there is an issue with intellectual honesty that really bothered me. I have known a number of homeless people in my life, and my partner works with and is friends with many homeless people as well. While we agree that there are many different types of homelessness, every homeless person we've ever known has been dirtier, hungrier, sadder, and more uncertain about life than any of the people portrayed in this book. It is important to have books that open up the issue of homelessness to children, but despite the obvious research that went into this book, the overall effect was to downplay a really huge problem in our society. - Pam
Other Reviews
"Although the ideas behind the poems are sometimes sophisticated for a fifth-grader, they are written in a clear and natural way that will speak to readers and make them think." - Booklist
"The likable characters, their misfortunes and especially their self-reliance will keep readers...enthralled. A poignant debut." - Kirkus Reviews
"First-time novelist Leal creates complex characters from various walks of life, though the delivery of the message ... occasionally feels heavy-handed." - Publishers Weekly
"Memorable characterizations fill the book with realistic individuals whom readers will root for and celebrate with when their lives finally begin to improve." - School Library Journal
This information about Also Known As Harper was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ann Haywood Leal volunteers at her local soup kitchen, and this novel grew out of her concern for the very real issue of homelessness in our own backyards. Ann is an elementary-school teacher in Waterford, Connecticut.
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