Holm, Jennifer L.
Full of Beans, 191 pgs. Random
House, 2016. $16.99 Content: G.
During the Depression, in Key West, Florida, Beans Curry is trying to be
the man of the house while his father is away looking for work. Beans tries to make money, help his mother
and play with his friends. He helps a
bootlegger move his liquor by pulling the town fire alarms and causing a
distraction, but he feels guilty about the consequences when the firemen almost
don’t come to a fire because they think it’s a false alarm. Beans helps volunteer with the New Deal
agents to clean up Key West and make it a presentable tourist attraction. Overall, Beans tries to do what is right,
even though he makes a lot of mistakes along the way.
This is an enjoyable read. Beans is a Tom Sawyer type character with
good and bad. The one message that wasn’t
my favorite is that Beans constantly says that adults are “lying liars” and sometimes
kids are too. Beans explains that
sometimes people lie to protect others or to make them feel like everything is
okay, but it wasn’t a great reflection on the value of honesty. The author’s note includes some information
about the depression and Key West. Also,
this book takes place with some of the same characters as Turtle in
Paradise.
EL – ADVISABLE. Reviewer, C. Peterson.
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