Going, going, gone! with the Pain & the Great One

Judy Blume

Book - 2008

Further adventures of first-grader Jake "the Pain" and his sister, third-grader Abigail "the Great One," include a trip to the beach with Grandma, to a county fair with Aunt Diana, and to a mall with Dad.

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jFICTION/Blume, Judy
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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jFICTION/Blume, Judy Due Apr 7, 2024
Children's Room jFICTION/Blume, Judy Due Apr 13, 2024
Subjects
Published
New York : Delacorte Press c2008.
Language
English
Main Author
Judy Blume (-)
Other Authors
James Stevenson, 1929- (illustrator)
Edition
1st ed
Physical Description
109 p. : ill. ; 22 cm
ISBN
9781448778508
9780385733076
9780385903264
Contents unavailable.
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 1-3-Jake, a first grader, is the Pain, and his sister Abigail, a third grader, is the Great One in Judy Blume's seven slice-of-life stories (Delacorte, 2008) that involve the entire family. For example, at the beach, the Pain is afraid of the ocean. When the siblings go to the fair with Aunt Diana, Jake takes a ride on the Gravitron. At the mall, they must decide which movie they will see and which fast food restaurant they will visit. After the Pain sticks a pussy willow up his nose, there's a trip to the emergency room to remove his "furry booger." Kathleen McInerney reads in a measured, mostly child-like voice. Another humorous collection that will be enjoyed by Blume's fans and could be used effectively as a read-along by ESL students.-Marilyn Hersh, Hillside Elementary School, Farmington Hills, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

 Grandma rented a house at the beach. Yesterday we drove there. I got carsick. I almost always get carsick if the ride takes more than an hour. Under an hour, I'm okay. The Great One doesn't get it. She says, "That doesn't make any sense."   "It makes sense to me," I told her.   "A person either gets carsick or he doesn't," she said. "Look at me--I don't get carsick, which makes me a good traveler."   "Does not!" I shouted.   "Does too!" she shouted back. "Mom, aren't I a good traveler?" Mom was driving. Dad was snoozing in the seat next to her.   "You're both good travelers," Mom said.   "But if you had to choose one of us to take on a trip, wouldn't you rather take the one who doesn't puke every time he gets in the car?" the Great One asked.   "No fair!" I called. "I don't puke every time."   "Children," Mom said. "I'm trying to concentrate on the road."   When we got to the beach, Grandma took us shopping while Mom and Dad unpacked. We're staying for a week. A week is a long time. Long enough to choose your favorite breakfast cereal. Mine is Cream of Wheat because it's white. I only like white foods. TheGreat One doesn't care what color her food is. She chose Cheerios.   At the supermarket we followed Grandma down the Fun-in-the-Sun aisle. She tossed a tube of sunscreen into our cart. The Great One ran ahead to a display of Boogie boards. "I've always wanted a Boogie board," she told Grandma. "I could have so much funin the ocean if only I had one." She looked through the stack of boards. "Oh, this one is so cool!" She held up a purple board. "Isn't this one cool, Grandma?" It had a picture of a lizard on it.   "You think it will be okay with your mom and dad?" Grandma asked.   "Oh, yes!" the Great One said. "I'm a good swimmer. You know what a good swimmer I am."   "Well, then--let's get it," Grandma said.   The Great One threw her arms around Grandma. "You're the best grandma in the history of the world!"   Grandma laughed. "Let's hope you think so the next time I say no." Then she looked at me. "Would you like a Boogie board, Jake?"   "Don't waste your money," the Great One said. "He won't use it."   "Yes, I will!" I said. I chose a yellow board with a wolf's face on it.   The next day, before we headed for the beach, the Great One said, "I hope the waves are big today." Then she looked right at me and said, "I take that back. I hope they're huge!"   At the beach Dad set up the umbrella and opened the chairs. Grandma spread out the blanket while Mom reached into her bag for the new sunscreen. "You first, Abigail," she said to the Great One.   "Why do I have to get sunscreened first?" the Great One asked.   "I thought you like to go first," I said.   The Great One gave me one of her looks.   When Mom was done with us, the Great One grabbed her Boogie board and raced down to the ocean. Dad followed her. I followed Dad.   When I reached wet sand, I stopped. The waves weren't huge. But they weren't small, either. I watched as the Great One paddled out on her Boogie board. When she got far enough, she turned back and waved to Dad. Then she watched over her shoulder untiljust before the next wave started. When it did, she was on her board riding in to shore. Then she did it again. And again. She didn't care if her face got wet or if she fell off her board, or even if she went under a wave. Nothing stopped her.   When I got tired of watching, I started digging a hole. I dug deeper and deeper until the ocean came up inside it. Then I sat in the hole. The water was warm. Warmer than in the ocean. Excerpted from Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.