100 Days and 99 Nights

I picked this book up for my sons for when they get older (8-12) to read, so they could understand - as close to first hand as possible - what this war is like for military personel's children. I promised to review it, so of course I had to read it. :o) It was very cute. Alan Madison has a way of writing his books from an uncanny point of view of the subject child. I love how he introduces "bigger words" into his story and defines them in kids terms so that it's easier for them to understand. We have 2 other Alan Madison books in which he does the same and my kids love to run around the house and spurt out the big words. This story is about a family of four, whose dad is in the military. He is due to leave on a tour of duty which lasts precisely 100 Days and 99 Nights. The mother writes articles for the military paper. The oldest, Esme - a daugher, is left in charge by her father to help her mom with her younger brother, Ike. Esme has a collection of stuffed animals, each representative of a different letter of the alphabet. Rather than chapter numbers, Mr. Madison uses an alphabetized animal and a little intro to the chapter which tells how Esme got that particular stuffed animal. The intros usually don't have anything to do with the chapter, but I love that they give background info to the other places that family has been stationed, like Kenya and Germany. As expected, life falls apart somewhat while Dad is gone. Esme does her best to keep it all together, but she has a hard time leading her mom and brother to properly make the weekly Saturday pancake breakfast like Dad used to. She's also very motivated to do what she can on the homefront to help her father and other soldiers come home as soon as they can. Along with a few friends and the help of her teacher, they organize a scrapmetal drive to help build new armor for the troops. It's successful and her father even gets to read about it in the military paper that her mom writes for. Esme learns that you don't have to just be a soldier to be a hero for the war as well. Eventually 100 days and 99 nights are up and Dad has come home. Rather than rush out to celebrate by having a dinner in some nice restaurant, Dad and family stay home and scrounge up the proper ingredients to make their traditional pancake breakfast...but this time it's for dinner and it's the best ever. Mr. Madison is even kind enough to provide us with the recipe. I definitely highly recommend the book for any military kids. But it's also great for non-military kids as well. It barely mentions the real war so it's not scary for younsters to read. It's an insight for what life is like for military families and some of the sacrifices that others make to allow us to love life in the good old U.S. of A.

Written by: Alan Madison Published by: Little, Brown and Company Reviewed by: Stephanie Rollins and J.T. Rollins (age 10) for ReviewYourBook.com 8/2008 ISBN: 978-0-316-113540 "A Must-Read for All Pre-teen Military Kids" 5 stars We have a saying around our house--"We are a military family, so we have to be tougher than most." This is a big responsibility for the kids. They have extra chores. They have to conform to a strict daily routine. They have to have fewer sleepovers and etc.... This book touches upon the toughness of military kids. I have not seen a book about this topic written for pre-teens. The characters are well-developed. The situations are real. J.T. does not like to read, but I made him read this because of his Dad's upcoming deployment. He enjoyed the book (he read it five pages at a time), and he recommends it to other military kids. When I asked him if it demonstrated how family life is when his Dad is gone, he agreed that it did. Madison is right on target with this book. I am going to recommend this to other military families that I know. Go get a copy for your child or a military child that you know.

Esmerelda, perceptive beyond her years is the daughter of a third generation career Army Sergeant. After living in three other countries before she's 8, her family returns to live in "The good `ol U.S. of A." Dad McArthur who gently but firmly instills Army conduct, manners and rules is sent overseas on a secret tour of duty in the desert for 100 days and 99 nights. Many of her classmates have family members serving, and her teacher kindly attempts to have them view the time as mathematically shorter. They know when a life is at stake, it's just not possible to see it quite that way. As Mom, Esme and younger brother Ike experience the feelings associated with military separation, Esme bravely tries to fill her Dad's shoes at home, while struggling with her own war related issues and anxieties. How one copes, as well as clings to their hopes, underscores the relevant themes in this book. Told through Esme's authentic voice, often with interesting, age-appropriate word plays, she alerts the reader to her concerns and those who inhabit her world. A knee-jerk emotion flashes through anyone who learns that kids in her school are more fearful of the Principal coming to take a child out of class and sending them home, than coming because one has misbehaved. Esme's impressive creativity and perseverance fills the reader with hope when she initiates efforts with friends to actually do something on "the home front," after being told by a school official that there is nothing that can be done. The light pencil illustrations provide an important element to the text, as does the format of the chapters, which are unique and effectively lead the reader through Esme's inner and outer world. This book packs a powerful punch using clean communication that a 5th-8th grader will clearly understand. It is not an "in your face book," which is refreshing and compelling. Mr. Madison does an excellent job in his debut fiction portrayal of current day military families facing multiple tours of duty.

My husband is overseas in the military and for periods longer than 100 days. I read this as a read aloud for my children. The issues the children deal with in the story and things they are missing about dad and family routines hit home with my boys. This book opened up discussions for us. There is a part in the book where the brother gets in trouble for fighting and his principal seems very understanding and my son wished his had been like her. In the book, the school staff seem very supportive, but there are many classmates that have parents away for the war too. I think this is a must read for teachers of children that have a parent away in the war- would open eyes up if they aren't.

This is a wonderful, thoughtful book. Alan Madison is a master storyteller. My kids loved reading this book. They loved the characters, the story and all the ideas behind the story.