Book talk: This is a book about life in a military family. Yes, and it's about improvisation. Yes, and it's about a boy named Bo who is sick of being a Colonel's son. Yes, and it's about a girl named Gari whose mother gets shipped out to Iraq. Yes, and despite all her efforts to prevent it Gari ends up moving in with her cousin Bo's family on an air force base. Yes, and Bo and Gari do not get along. Yes, and they are put in the same class with an insane teacher who tapes off part of the room and sticks a smelly, old couch in it. Yes, and somehow she teaches them how to work together. Yes, and they find all the cracks in the school and try to fix them. Yes, and it's about how learning how to take whatever life throws at you and say "Yes!"
Rocks my socks: I think this is the first book I've read from the perspective of kids living on a military base. It was an interesting window into a life I know very little about. I liked that the story flipped back and forth between Bo and Gari's perspectives. It was a great exercise in seeing how conflict can arise through miscommunication and bad timing. I loved Miss Loupe and how she wove improvisation exercises into her class. I've read a lot of theatre books, but not a lot that focus on improv. I particularly enjoy how she took the improv mentality and applied to the real world. It seems like a particularly useful skill to have, especially for kids like these that have to accept so many difficult situations that are beyond their control.
Rocks in my socks: The ending was a bit too pat for my tastes.
Every book its reader: I'd give this to students 4th and up looking for a good school story. Especially those with an interest in improv or military.
Extras:
Sarah Lewis Holmes has her own website.
Scholastic has a page about the book complete with a book talk.
Source: copy provided as part of faculty & staff book club
Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes: buy it or check it out today!
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