princessleia4life's review against another edition
Liked the movie, but I couldn't get into the book.
blondeeishere's review against another edition
5.0
Such a sweet endearing book. I read it to my little boy. And he though those monkeys were crazy!
jamie_o's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
The book starts out a bit slow, and I was annoyed by the repetitiveness in conversations (person 1 says something or asks a question and person 2 first repeats what person 1 said before responding). After a while the book really picked up and the repetition, though still there, was not as bothersome.
It's a great boy book, full of adventure. 14 year old Jay Berry is the protagonist. He is poor, but has a loving family, his own dog, and likes hunting and being outdoors. He spends his summer attempting to catch some monkeys who escaped from a circus train accident, in return for a substantial reward. It has a fantastic, happy ending! My 7 and 9 year old boys thoroughly enjoyed the story.
The book starts out a bit slow, and I was annoyed by the repetitiveness in conversations (person 1 says something or asks a question and person 2 first repeats what person 1 said before responding). After a while the book really picked up and the repetition, though still there, was not as bothersome.
It's a great boy book, full of adventure. 14 year old Jay Berry is the protagonist. He is poor, but has a loving family, his own dog, and likes hunting and being outdoors. He spends his summer attempting to catch some monkeys who escaped from a circus train accident, in return for a substantial reward. It has a fantastic, happy ending! My 7 and 9 year old boys thoroughly enjoyed the story.
iluvbooks13's review against another edition
This is such an awsome book! I thought all the times that he tried to catch the monkeys were funny...
meganeveritt's review against another edition
4.0
I read this aloud to our girls and we all really enjoyed it. It’s written by the same author that wrote Where the Red Fern Grows and it has a similar feel to it. It’s about a boy and his family and of course his hound dog. It takes place In the Ozark mountains and is all about the antics that unfold after he discovers a troop of monkeys. Our oldest daughter liked the sibling relationship and how it was really funny at times, how they bickered and ultimately how their love for each other manifested in the story. Our youngest daughter loved the monkey elements and their interactions with the main character, Jay Berry. We laughed a lot while reading this book and sweet tears were shed during the last chapter. I enjoyed the strong family values that were portrayed but also just found it to be good entertainment.
editrix's review against another edition
This is a fun historical countryboy-and-dog story with a lot of shenanigans and just enough problematic bits to spark good conversations without making the whole thing unacceptably outdated. I read this with my 10yo after reassuring him it wasn't headed into "Old Yeller" territory (he wailed over that one for an hour straight, and so I will not be reading him this author's "Where the Red Fern Grows"), and he liked it—especially when I asked him to predict what might happen next (Will he catch the monkeys this time? What did Jay Berry wish for? Does Grandpa know more than he's letting on?). As my kid studies US history this year, I'm trying to look for books that give a memorable sense of place, and this felt like a good entry for (historical, white, poor) Oklahoma and environs.
whitneydrew's review against another edition
3.0
Not nearly as wonderful as Where the Red Fern Grows, but still an enjoyable book.
edboies's review against another edition
4.0
It takes place in Oklahoma and there are secret monkeys in it! That was all I needed then.