Book Description
for An Early Winter by Marion Dane Bauer
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Eleven-year-old Tim looks forward to time with Granddad. Tim and his mother have lived with his grandparents in their Wisconsin home, so he’s always been close to his grandfather. Recently Tim and his mom moved to Minneapolis with his new stepfather. Now that his mother and Paul are married, Tim is making the best of the changes, but he loves to go “home.” He’s overheard the whispers about Granddad, and he’s overheard the word Alzheimer’s. Tim refuses to believe that Granddad’s forgetfulness is symptomatic of something serious until they go fishing, or try to. The two move into increasing danger, one step at a time, and then very swiftly. Along with developing one of her trademark fast-paced short novels featuring genuine dialogue and people about whom readers care, Bauer pictures the realistic denial and grief associated with Tim’s anguish. (Ages 9-12)
CCBC Choices 2000. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2000. Used with permission.