Skulls and Coffee

I recently came across an article describing the Phoenix Award and was intrigued. The Phoenix Award is for children books that didn't win any awards when they were first published but deserve some award. There's a twenty year wait period, for instance books recognized this year was published in 1992.

I had never heard of Queenie Peavy but I was willing to give it a shot. Thankfully my library system had a copy in storage and within a few days it was in my hands. However, it took me longer than expected to finish this one.

The story of Queenie Peavy is unique but the feeling of it being set in the hardscrabble Depression with a father in prison is one that most kids can relate to today. While we may not be in a depression, kids know when things are tight and when their friends are suffering also.

This book is rather old-fashion in it's fable. The lesson to be learn is self-control. I think that it could still work today, depending on the kid.

I enjoyed this, but not enough to really recommend it.