Melanie Martin Goes Dutch: The Private Diary of My Almost Bummer Summer with Cecily, Matt the Brat, and Vincent Van Go Go Go

The sequel to The Diary of Melanie Martin is just as charming and rings with the same truthful voice, as Melanie records the ups and downs of a vacation in Holland with her family and best friend. Melanie is reading the Diary of Anne Frank on this trip, and this historic diary lends a thoughtful note to Melanie's own diary, which includes dealing with the threat of the cancer which has infected her best friend's mom. With the heroine's observations as witty as ever, Melanie Martin Goes Dutch will delight young readers as they experience both van Gogh paintings and topless beaches through Melanie's eyes.

When you open this book, you will find yourself peeking into the private diary of Melanie Martin, a ten year old girl living in New York with her mom, dad and Matt the Bratt (aka little brother!). Her mom is an art teacher who teaches her kids to appreciate art, and she loves when they do, even if its only because it includes naked people or blood scenes! The story starts when summer vacation has just got out, and our girl Mel is getting bored. She and her mom do puzzles. It is one utterly boring day when Melanie's mom gets a phone call telling her that she's got the grant (for her teaching) and they're going to Amster Amster Dam Dam Dam! They barely get this news before it is discovered that Cecily's mom (Cecily is Melanie's best friend) has got breast cancer. Mel's mom invites Cecily on the trip and Melanie is overjoyed! They all leave together for Amsterdam. They all expirience lots of adventures including lost luggage, a topless beach, LOTS of museums and a HUGE argument. Mel thinks Cecily is getting way too much attention so they silently fight. Will the fight turn this best-friend bliss into a bummer summer? Read and find out! Melanie Martin Goes Dutch is a great book that plenty of kids can empathize with - even grown-ups too! I hope everyone will enjoy this book as much as I have, including Carol Weston's other fantastic books! 3 cheers, two thumbs up, plus five WHOLE stars as well!

Wishing you could take a trip this summer? The title of this book just makes me smile. Melanie's mother has a grant to study Van Gogh in Amsterdam for the summer and the whole family gets to go along. Melanie's diary of their trip is a fun read. Travel disasters such as lost luggage, an annoying little brother, and a fight with her best friend are not what she imagined her vacation would be like. Melanie is reading Anne Frank: the diary of a young girl. As events unfold on their trip Melanie finds herself empathizing with Anne. Her visit to the Secret Annex is very poignant. I loved "hearing" the Dutch phrases (complete with pronunciation,)smelling the food and seeing the sights through the eyes of a character who is the same age I was when I lived there. This is a very funny book. The presence of Anne in the background of the story gives the story a sweetness beyond the humor.

I read a book called Melanie Martin Goes Dutch. It is about a girl named Melanie. Melanie is a girl who has a brother named Matt. Well their family has to go to Holland. She writes a Diary about her summer to Holland. Her friend Cecily goes with them. She pictured her dad showing her The House of Ann Frank. She also pictured her mom showing her Van Gogh Paintings. This is what she didn't picture, going to a topless beach, and getting their luggage lost! She didn't expect to all get into a BIG fight with her VERY BEST FRIEND CECILY!This book has a message. It is that you shouldn't expect everything to go your way You need to expect things when you don't expect them. You shouldn't fight with your friend. If you hope your vacation will turn good again. I also learned that you should spend time with your family and friends. This book was a great book. People should read it more often. You should buy this book or borrow it from your local library. People and kids should read it if they like diary entries. Melanie and Cecily get in a big fight, but you have to read it to find out how they worked it out. I give this book.

I love the Melanie Martin books! They are everything children's literature should be: smart, funny, and quietly instructive. This second installment of Melanie's adventures takes us to Holland and is every bit as delightful as the first. It made me want to hop on a plane to Amsterdam immediately. You'll learn a lot about a foreign country (its art, architecture, cuisine, customs, and even language) and you'll think about significant issues like friendship, jealousy, loneliness, charity, etc. And you'll constantly laugh. Melanie is sassy, without being abrasive, and very real. Although intended for a younger crowd, these books deserve the recognition that other "diary" literature has received recently (e.g., The Princess Diaries and Louise Rennison's Georgia books). Read the book and then tell all your friends to read it, too.