Helpful Score: 32
Loved the characters in this book. The author created a whole cast of people with depth and emotion. This book made me laugh out loud and cry real tears since the story is real and raw and it is easy to get lost in their lives and really feel for them. Great writing.
Helpful Score: 16
I had never heard of this author before, but I LOVED this book. It was one of the best books I have read in a long time. It was one of those where I was sad when it was over.
Told by nine year old Evelyn "Button" Peters. The year is 1961. Button has seemingly cold parents and not many friends. Her only source of affection seems to come from her Aunt Verdella, who wasn't able to have children of her own. Button spends as much time with her as possible, but it still isn't the same as having a 'best friend.' Then the Malone sisters, Freeda and Winnalee, come busting through their small country town changing everything and everyone. Winnalee is nine like Button and though they are totally different, they become fast friends. Winnalee is a fiesty little girl who carries her mother's ashes around in a jar and a big book she calls "The Book of Bright Ideas." She is trying to record the mysteries of life in the book. Her sister, Freeda, is in her twenties and wild and a little loose. She has no trouble tellin' it like it is. The men in town swarm around her and the women can't help but hate her.
Basically the book shows how just a little love can change a whole family and a small town.
Told by nine year old Evelyn "Button" Peters. The year is 1961. Button has seemingly cold parents and not many friends. Her only source of affection seems to come from her Aunt Verdella, who wasn't able to have children of her own. Button spends as much time with her as possible, but it still isn't the same as having a 'best friend.' Then the Malone sisters, Freeda and Winnalee, come busting through their small country town changing everything and everyone. Winnalee is nine like Button and though they are totally different, they become fast friends. Winnalee is a fiesty little girl who carries her mother's ashes around in a jar and a big book she calls "The Book of Bright Ideas." She is trying to record the mysteries of life in the book. Her sister, Freeda, is in her twenties and wild and a little loose. She has no trouble tellin' it like it is. The men in town swarm around her and the women can't help but hate her.
Basically the book shows how just a little love can change a whole family and a small town.
Helpful Score: 13
Ladies practice your Keggles excercises because you will pee your pants with this book. This book will bust your gut at the sametime it breaks your heart.
Well written easy to follow and memorable characters. It is funny how the regular lives of people contain both humor and heartbreak. I loved the little girls and their book of bright ideas....a kids way of making sense in this chaotic world by their observations of the adults in their life. The kids write their interpretations of these in there book of bright ideas. It is quite comical and mischieveous. Oh if the adults only knew!!!!! Is a testament to the intelligence of children's perceptions at such a young age! ADULTS OUR CHILDREN ARE LISTENING!!!!
There are a ton of everyday lessons. This is a dance naked in the rain kind of book.
I loved it! I would re-read this book.
Well written easy to follow and memorable characters. It is funny how the regular lives of people contain both humor and heartbreak. I loved the little girls and their book of bright ideas....a kids way of making sense in this chaotic world by their observations of the adults in their life. The kids write their interpretations of these in there book of bright ideas. It is quite comical and mischieveous. Oh if the adults only knew!!!!! Is a testament to the intelligence of children's perceptions at such a young age! ADULTS OUR CHILDREN ARE LISTENING!!!!
There are a ton of everyday lessons. This is a dance naked in the rain kind of book.
I loved it! I would re-read this book.
Helpful Score: 8
A very quick read. A little girl and her big sister drift into a small town and make some friends and some enemies. It is the story of friendship, loss and the wonderment of childhood and how everyone has secrets. This was a really sweet book that is well written. Great Beach or vacation book!
Helpful Score: 7
I loved this book. The characters came alive...who wouldn't want to get to know these people. Heartwarming book with a bit of a twist. It's about friendships and much more.
Helpful Score: 5
Another woman in my book club picked this book for us to read. I wasn't all that excited about it as I prefer non-fiction. After the first 40 pages or so, I really got into the story and enjoyed the characters. This book ended up being one of the best I've read all year. Very heartwarming. The writer, Sandra Kring did a fantastic job at writing from a ten year old's point of view. I highly recommend this book.
Helpful Score: 4
This book was beautifully written about characters that you will fall in love with as you read about their plights. Great book about female relationships, the secrets that we keep to protect those we love, and the need for someone in our lives who will tell us what we need to hear. You might even see yourself in one of these characters, I know I did. If you liked Secret Life of Bees or The Red Tent, you will truly love this book.
Helpful Score: 4
Very light, charming summer read. Perfect vacation book. Loved it!
Helpful Score: 4
Amazing book!! I read it 3 weeks ago, and I'm still sad that it ended. :) Beautiful writing, memorable and vivid characters, and twists you don't expect. A must read!!
Helpful Score: 3
Loved it! A very good book, I couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 3
This book was so refreshing! I laughed and laughed and laughed while reading it. It was easy to feel yourself get into the picture that the author was painting like you were right there with the characters.
You must read it!!!!
You must read it!!!!
Helpful Score: 3
Loved it - shared with friends who loved it - now ready to share it with the rest of you!
Helpful Score: 2
A lovely quick read. Not at all what I expected when I picked up the book -- EVEN BETTER!
Helpful Score: 2
A sweetly written tale about the magic of youth, the harshness of adulthood, and the acceptance of all of life's gifts and tragedies.
Helpful Score: 2
The short review: I loved this book. I loved how these characters crept into my head and will be there long after I've finished the last page. I think this story will resonate wtih anyone who has overcome some kind of trauma in their life, and I think it will help anyone still struggling to put that trauma in the past. Button says it best: "It seems to me that after someone sweeps across your life like a red-hot flame, peeling back the shutters that sat over your heart and your mind and setting free your sweetest dreams or your worst nightmares, after things cool down you've got two choices. You can either slip back into yor old self, your old life, tucking those things you were too scard to look at back into hiding, or you can keep those parts of yourself out until you get so used to them that they don't scare you anymore..." Read, Savor, Enjoy!
Helpful Score: 2
I wasn't expecing to like this book, it got off to a slow start. But a few chapters in I was hooked, wanting to know more about the characters and why they were so dysfunctional. In the end all was explained, very heartbreaking in so many ways. I hoped for a different ending.
Helpful Score: 2
I finished reading this book several days ago and I still want to go back and pick it up to see what happens next. I would love to read a sequel to this book, because I would love to see what happens next in the lives of the characters. All of them seemed so real. I grew up in a small town very much like the one Winnalee and Button were growing up in. Maybe that is why I could identify with this story so much.
Helpful Score: 2
Very cute story, read the whole book in a few hours, couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 2
For starters get your, depends and your tissues. You will laugh until you pee yourself and cry when you think things are going back to normal. This was one of the best written books I have read in a looooong time. It is told through the eyes of a child and shows how just a little love and kindness can change a whole town. I would love to see a sequel Winnalee and Freeda have a story of their own to tell and I would love to read it. Thought people might be interested in the e-mail I received from the author about the sequel
Hello Bertie,
I'm so glad you enjoyed The Book of Bright ideas, and thanks so much for writing to tell me so. It's always such a blessing to hear from readers. And you're absolutely right, I get mail all the time asking me to write a sequel to this book. All that prompting has paid off--I'm working on the sequel now! Of course, things move very slowly in the publishing world, so it won't be on the shelves until '11. In the meantime, though, I hope you'll check out one of my other two books, and, my fourth book which will be released the very end of April. The book is titled, How High the Moon, and takes place in Wisconsin in 1955. Like Bright Ideas, it's told through the voice of a little girl, 10-year-old Isabella "Teaspoon" Marlene, a irrepressible child who sets out to make herself more "respectable" so her mother's former boyfriend, Teddy, won't abandon her the way her mother did when she ran off to become an actress. It's funny, and touching, and I only hope readers enjoy reading Teaspoon half as much as I enjoyed writing her character.
Again, thank you for writing, Bertie!
Happy reading,
Sandra Kring
Carry Me Home, The Book of Bright Ideas, Thank You for All Things, How High the Moon
Hello Bertie,
I'm so glad you enjoyed The Book of Bright ideas, and thanks so much for writing to tell me so. It's always such a blessing to hear from readers. And you're absolutely right, I get mail all the time asking me to write a sequel to this book. All that prompting has paid off--I'm working on the sequel now! Of course, things move very slowly in the publishing world, so it won't be on the shelves until '11. In the meantime, though, I hope you'll check out one of my other two books, and, my fourth book which will be released the very end of April. The book is titled, How High the Moon, and takes place in Wisconsin in 1955. Like Bright Ideas, it's told through the voice of a little girl, 10-year-old Isabella "Teaspoon" Marlene, a irrepressible child who sets out to make herself more "respectable" so her mother's former boyfriend, Teddy, won't abandon her the way her mother did when she ran off to become an actress. It's funny, and touching, and I only hope readers enjoy reading Teaspoon half as much as I enjoyed writing her character.
Again, thank you for writing, Bertie!
Happy reading,
Sandra Kring
Carry Me Home, The Book of Bright Ideas, Thank You for All Things, How High the Moon
Helpful Score: 1
There are far too many "cookie cutter" books on the market. Ms. Kring wrote a book that has heart and soul. Reading this gem of a book took me back to my own childhood. It evoked memories, feelings, and ideas from days gone by. The characters felt like people I knew. Ms. Kring gave us people to care about and reasons to care about them. Their lives and their concerns were believable and honest. I couldn't wait to read what happened next, but I didn't want it to end.
"The Book of Bright Ideas" is memorable, the stuff classics are made of.
"The Book of Bright Ideas" is memorable, the stuff classics are made of.
Helpful Score: 1
This story told in a child's voice touched the wonder and belief in my own heart. The interaction of the well-developed characters and their impact on each other brought me right into their world. I found the book easy to read, but very thought-provoking.
Helpful Score: 1
Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing, carries around an urn with her mother's ashes in it, and she soon becomes best friends with Button, who is shy and withdrawn. The dynamic between the 2 is wonderful, and the storyline quite interesting. The book is really a treasure and not like anything else you've ever read, I'll bet. this is a triumphant tale of love, loss and second chances.I believe this book will become a classic.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was a real joy to read, although I really thought the ending could have been different, but that is my opinion. I love the voice of the ten year old little girl telling us the story; it would not be the same story if told from a different point of view. This novel is an easy read about change, love, friendship and family.
Helpful Score: 1
this is a delightful book seen from the eyes of a little girl, " button". She and her best friend Winnalee have quite the adventures. Their Moms become friends and have some great insights into the different lives they have lead. I would recommend this book...However there is some strong language, which I try to avoid but it is worth it in this book.
Helpful Score: 1
A stunning book about childhood and adult friendships. I loved every minute of it.
Helpful Score: 1
From the reviews prior I really expected good things from this book, and it partially measured up to them, but the ending was fairly disappointing.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was sweet, deep & spiritual. Loved it w/all my heart & soul...
Helpful Score: 1
This was a great story. It pulled me in from the first page and held me right up to the end. It is told from the point-of-view of a 9-year-old girl, Button. It tells the story of the summer she met her first true friend, Winnalee. Winnalee and her sister, Freeda, blow into town and no one is ever the same.
Helpful Score: 1
Loved, loved, loved! My teenage daughter read it after me and we agree that this book is a MUST READ! Couldn't put it down.
Helpful Score: 1
Wow! What a cute book. Reminds me so much of Whistling in the Dark. It was a breeze to read and enjoyable one at that. And the message: Don't judge a book by its cover- rings true throughout the book.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved loved loved this book. I hated to see it end and have just ordered Sandra Kring's book A Life of Bright Ideas from Amazon. I can't wait to see what happens to Button and Winnalee. This book will make you laugh and cry. I'm going to keep this one to read over and over again.
Using a child narrator for a novel intended for adult readers is a tricky proposition, but Sandra Kring pulls it off with perfection in The Book of Bright Ideas.
Evelyn Peters (aka âButtonâ) is the heart of this tale of childhood friendship that grows with the intensity that only eight-going-on-nine can muster when an unconventional pair of siblings burst into their staid midwestern town like the fireworks on âMarty Grawâ. Freeda Malone is a fiery redhead with the mouth of a sailor, the body of a temptress, and a perhaps too-healthy appetite for male company. Her baby sister Winnalee is an impatient bundle of energy, dubious fashion choices, and big ideas (which she writes down in the titular book). That the two girls should instantly become best of friends is almost inevitable, as Button's imagination is nurtured by Winnalee's flights of fancy, and Winnalee finds stability and loving acceptance from Button's Aunt Verdella.
What's perhaps less to be expected is that the free-spirited Freeda also opens doors for Verdella and for Button's mother, Jewel â a process Button sees and describes, without fully understanding what's at the base of it all. She knows only that, bit by bit, her world is getting just slightly bigger, though sometimes the grown-ups around her make choices she can't really comprehend.
Kring keeps the point-of-view firmly with Button, even as events unfold in the adult world that will change everything in heartbreaking ways. Most readers will have winkled out the main revelation long before it's made, but can still feel the pain the knowledge brings to everyone touched by it.
Definitely worth the read.
Evelyn Peters (aka âButtonâ) is the heart of this tale of childhood friendship that grows with the intensity that only eight-going-on-nine can muster when an unconventional pair of siblings burst into their staid midwestern town like the fireworks on âMarty Grawâ. Freeda Malone is a fiery redhead with the mouth of a sailor, the body of a temptress, and a perhaps too-healthy appetite for male company. Her baby sister Winnalee is an impatient bundle of energy, dubious fashion choices, and big ideas (which she writes down in the titular book). That the two girls should instantly become best of friends is almost inevitable, as Button's imagination is nurtured by Winnalee's flights of fancy, and Winnalee finds stability and loving acceptance from Button's Aunt Verdella.
What's perhaps less to be expected is that the free-spirited Freeda also opens doors for Verdella and for Button's mother, Jewel â a process Button sees and describes, without fully understanding what's at the base of it all. She knows only that, bit by bit, her world is getting just slightly bigger, though sometimes the grown-ups around her make choices she can't really comprehend.
Kring keeps the point-of-view firmly with Button, even as events unfold in the adult world that will change everything in heartbreaking ways. Most readers will have winkled out the main revelation long before it's made, but can still feel the pain the knowledge brings to everyone touched by it.
Definitely worth the read.
This book was named to the New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Aged list in
2007, but I would only recommend it to a teen with some disclaimers for the behaviors of certain characters. Overall, I loved the book and it has some very good points--some from the "Book of Bright Ideas" that one of the two youngsters in the book maintains. Some of the lessons are just about the hard, cold facts of life and of how we see ourselves. Also, it is not just another book with a feel-good ending but one that is more true to real-life.
2007, but I would only recommend it to a teen with some disclaimers for the behaviors of certain characters. Overall, I loved the book and it has some very good points--some from the "Book of Bright Ideas" that one of the two youngsters in the book maintains. Some of the lessons are just about the hard, cold facts of life and of how we see ourselves. Also, it is not just another book with a feel-good ending but one that is more true to real-life.
What a great book! Told from the viewpoint of a nine year old girl nick named Button, the story tells of a very shy young 9 year old girl who becomes mesmerized by 10 year old Winnalee and her 25 year old sister Freeda. Button's aunt, Verdella, has taken the young newcommers to town under her wing and put them up in Button's grandmother's old house. Freeda quickly becomes the topic of the town gossip due to her "wild" ways. Button and Winnalee become quick best friends and Winnalee's vivid imagination starts to bring Button's personality to the surface. The characters are developed well and the trouble they get into is very realistic. The book leaves you hoping for a sequel to this great story.
Wonderful book that tugs at your heart.
What a sweet book, and the powerful story it tells about humans, and flaws, and acceptance. Strong female characters, and challenging situations. It doesn't have a "happy" ending, yet it had a hopeful ending. Excellent read.
I couldn't stop reading this book. You know those book suggestions on Amazon, "people who ordered this book also ordered..."? Those who enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees would enjoy The Book of Bright Ideas. Told from the perspective of a nine year old girl, the text plunges the reader into her thoughts, hopes, and fears with ease. My favorite thing about this book is the way the characters (and ultimately the reader) are able to learn from other characters who are flawed in some way. Everyone has something to share--some wisdom to impart, and this delightful story brings that point home in such a satisfying way.
I must admit I choose this book because of the title. It struck me as funny when I read it. I must also admit that I really enjoyed this book and found it a delight. The plot was well developed and each character had their own unique individual story to tell. The author did a fantastic job weaving all of the individual characters stories together and creating a unified story line. I enjoyed the book from beginning to end. It was a quick read and once I started it I couldn't seem to put it down. I'm now on the hunt for more novels by this charming writer.
It took me a couple chapters to really start liking this book, then after that I was hooked. The characters to me were very well described to where I could actually picture them. And this story is one where you think you know whats gonna happen and something totally different does. A perfect story of Best friends young and old.
This is a great book -- fun and easy to read and hard to put down. The characters are vividly drawn, some you love and some you're just not too sure about. The plot seems quite predictable at first, but keeps twisting and turning like a country road, and you're not sure where you are going til you get there. Button is a sweet little girl with lots of potential, and a huge inferiority complex. Winnalee is the new friend that opens up Buttons eyes to a whole new world, right in her own backyard. Aunt Verdella is the rock and the glue that keeps the family from splintering apart.
Thoroughly enjoyable, I loved this book. Even if you don't believe in fairies, you will too!
Thoroughly enjoyable, I loved this book. Even if you don't believe in fairies, you will too!
I was drawn to this book because of it's setting in 1961. It is a bittersweet tale with wonderful characters. The story is told from the perspective of 9 year old Button, a sweet, shy, scared little girl. She and those she loves are all changed by a fiery, adventurous little girl and her family. Enjoyable read.
Different from any other book I've read in a while-but I realized that after I started reading that the character of Button reminded me of myself at that age. There are many strong female characters, which I love in a book. Although I had figured out the situation about half way through I still enjoyed it.
Great read.
I loved this book! I was sad to see it end. The characters are so real that sometimes you forget you are reading a fiction book. I would love to see this story continued...maybe several years down the road after the girls have grown up. I would be the first in line to buy it. Until then, I will be reading all of Sandra Krings books.
Great summer read - interesting characters and a small mystery keep one's interest.
Interesting book. Not the best book that I've ever read, but a good summer read.
This was a cute read. Colorful characters.
Great book!
For me, this book was a little slow to begin with. I forced myself to read for 20 minutes each night before going to bed. About halfway through I got hooked. Thie characters are well written and it's easy to imagine them as people you know. This is a sweet and sad story at the same time. This is what I would call an "airplane" book. A pleasant read, but nothing needs to be explored and analyzed.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit! Of course, I am a sucker for a good child narrator, but it was a good story with great characters and a far more interesting plot than it originally seemed to have. The ending was sort of sad... well, there's some hope, but I think I would've liked something a little more definite... Still, all in all, it was a very great read and I very much enjoyed it. I will definitely keep an eye out for her other books! Though, I must admit, the setting struck me as more of the south than Wisconsin, somehow...
I loved this book.... good thing I have 2 copies cause this is a keeper :)
This book is perfect for light reading. It's an engaging story of love, friendship, family & hope.
Good southern fiction. This has it all; humor, sadness, family dysfunction, secrets, redemption.
An excellent book! I really enjoyed it.
Lovely characters in a bittersweet small town drama.
A fast-reading book filled with unforgettable characters. Set in a small town one 1961 summer, this book is a wonderful story of redemption and friendship.
I ordered this book after a recommendation from a friend. I was a little disappointed, yet liked it enough to finish it. It was an easy read and relatively entertaining. I think it is more of a young adult book, yet the friendships that were cultivated and the relationships between the characters throughout this story is something any reader can appreciate.
I thought this book was very interesting. Nothing extraordinary, but it was a good story of something that could possibly happen in real life, makes you think.
Everyone, I mean EVERYONE, loves this book. My 17 year old daughter read it, I read, my mother read it. It may very well be the best book I will read in 2011.
We should all have a "big book of bright ideas."
I almost hate to trade this book, it was so wonderful.
We should all have a "big book of bright ideas."
I almost hate to trade this book, it was so wonderful.
This is a story full of life's problems, both joyful and sorrowful. There are some good twists and surprises and a book worth reading.
I LOVED this book - it is the first one in a long time that I give 5 stars to. The characters are so endearing and I grew to care for each and every one. I cried at the end but I am so happy to find out there is now a sequel "The Life of Bright Ideas" and I get to see what else happens to these people. I can't wait to have the story continue. I really like this author and I highly recommend!
If you loved "Stand By Me", you will go gaga for this book! It's even better! I didn't want it to end! Please keep writing Sandra Kring!!!!!!
What a great book! Not what I usually might read, but thought this was a wonderful book!
Couldn't put it down.
I enjoyed this 'rural' chick lit very much.
Wisconsin, 1961. Evelyn Button Peters is nine the summer Winnalee and her fiery-spirited older sister, Freeda, blow into her small townand from the moment she sees them, Button knows this will be a summer unlike any other.
Much to her mothers dismay, Button is fascinated by the Malone sisters, especially Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing who carries around a shiny silver urn containing her mothers ashes and a tome she calls The Book of Bright Ideas. It is here, Winnalee tells Button, that she records everything she learns: her answers to the mysteries of life. But sometimes those mysteries conceal a truth better left buried. And when a devastating secret is suddenly revealed, dividing loyalties and uprooting lives, no onefrom Winnalee and her sister to Button and her familywill ever be the same.
Much to her mothers dismay, Button is fascinated by the Malone sisters, especially Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing who carries around a shiny silver urn containing her mothers ashes and a tome she calls The Book of Bright Ideas. It is here, Winnalee tells Button, that she records everything she learns: her answers to the mysteries of life. But sometimes those mysteries conceal a truth better left buried. And when a devastating secret is suddenly revealed, dividing loyalties and uprooting lives, no onefrom Winnalee and her sister to Button and her familywill ever be the same.
Wisconsin, 1961. Evelyn Button Peters is nine the summer Winnalee and her fiery-spirited older sister, Freeda, blow into her small townand from the moment she sees them, Button knows this will be a summer unlike any other.
Much to her mothers dismay, Button is fascinated by the Malone sisters, especially Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing who carries around a shiny silver urn containing her mothers ashes and a tome she calls The Book of Bright Ideas. It is here, Winnalee tells Button, that she records everything she learns: her answers to the mysteries of life. But sometimes those mysteries conceal a truth better left buried. And when a devastating secret is suddenly revealed, dividing loyalties and uprooting lives, no onefrom Winnalee and her sister to Button and her familywill ever be the same.
Much to her mothers dismay, Button is fascinated by the Malone sisters, especially Winnalee, a feisty scrap of a thing who carries around a shiny silver urn containing her mothers ashes and a tome she calls The Book of Bright Ideas. It is here, Winnalee tells Button, that she records everything she learns: her answers to the mysteries of life. But sometimes those mysteries conceal a truth better left buried. And when a devastating secret is suddenly revealed, dividing loyalties and uprooting lives, no onefrom Winnalee and her sister to Button and her familywill ever be the same.
