Stranded at gramma's house with no power, grandson Ruddy finds out she's not as stuck up as he thing. Admirable undidactic.

I chose this because I feel a kinship with G. Silk. I don't like noise or television, and fear that if I am ever blessed with grandchildren I may not be able to enjoy them as much as I want to. Unfortunately, this book didn't really give me any guidance on how to be less stuffy and prissy.

Fortunately, it's a lovely story in its own right. What child couldn't identify with Ruddy's desire to be a gorilla for Halloween, and his pleasure at being able to teach his grandmother how to lay a fire? The only thing I don't care for is the illustrations. They look like the cheap naive drawings that are common in leveled readers. ( )

This is a delightful tale of Ruddy who enjoys one grandmother, but, when compared to spending time with his paternal grandmother there is quite a difference.

When his parents leave for an October cruise, Ruddy is left in the care of boring, meticulous Grandmother Silk. Pinkies in the air, wearing high heels and makeup even when at home, Ruddy finds her unapproachable.

A trip to the zoo always equates to Grandmother Silk's rules about dirt and danger. He is allowed to obtain a gorilla costume, but when a snow storm happens, Ruddy fears he will miss the Halloween party at the zoo.

Stuck inside for a number of days, with no water, electricity or heat, Ruddy gradually discovers that his grandmother can be rather fun. She allows him to dress in his costume while playing chess. As she recalls old memories, she smiles and laughs.

When walking to the lake to obtain water to heat inside, together they notice the moon and the beauty of nature on a cold, crisp evening.

When help arrives to fix the downed electrical wires, Grandmother Silk holds a beam of light to assist the men high up on the ladder. Inviting the workers inside, Ruddy discovers that she can laugh and relax.

Both the images in words and illustrations make this a lovely book.

This is an early chapter book about a boy who is forced to spend 10 days with his 'uncool' grandmother and he is dreading it. Ruddy's grandmother doesn't like messy things or noise and she is not that much fun. Because Ruddy's parents are going on a cruise, he is forced to spend 10 days with her over Halloween. Then an unexpected snow storm arrives and they are stuck in the house with no electricity for days. Slowly, they begin to have fun by dressing up in crazy warm clothes, getting water from the lake, making sandwiches and soup, and learning to play chess. I love the genuine relationship that develops between the two. They originally think they have nothing in common, but discover, that in fact, they do. The story moves along nicely and has a nice mix of dialog and action.

I think this is a wonderful book for children to read to help them appreciate those people who are older, and who they may not initially understand or like. The story shows that you need to spend time with people who on the surface may seem different than you to get to know them and like them. I think this book has wonderful opportunities for further personal explorations that children can do with older people they may know, but not know well. I would encourage them to spend time with an older person to get to know them and then write about the experience or some of the life experiences that are shared. ( )

Ruddy is very disappointed when his parents are leaving him with his grandmother while they go out of town. He and his grandmother are very different, and she is also not very fun. The town is hit by a snowstorm and he and his grandmother are stuck home together making it through the storm. They learn to do things together that they both enjoy doing that they would not have done before, like playing games, making fires,and preparing meals together. This is a good book for a student who is making a transition to chapter books, the font is bigger than most chapter books and students are less likely to feel intimidated by the size of the book. ( )