The Only Alex Addleston In All These Mountains Library Edition

(Hardback)

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Alex Addleston and Alex Addleston do everything together. They chase Flatt Mountain fireflies. They code secret messages. They collect crawdads named Mr. and Mrs. Sassafras Jorgensen. But when Alex's parents move her family to Kenya, the two friends lose contact with each other.

Half a world apart, each Alex still keeps the other close while climbing trees, counting stars, and playing games. One day, just maybe, they will rediscover what it means to be best friends, no matter what.

Reviews

http: //bookegg.blogspot.com/2014/01/its-monday-january-13th-what-are-you.html

Monday, January 13, 2014
It's Monday, January 13th What Are You Reading

It's Early Bird Reader time again. This is a program I wholeheartedly support as it involves putting books into the hands of young children not yet in school. We want to make sure they are exposed to books as soon as possible. The goal is for siblings to bring home books to read to little brothers, sisters, cousins, or close friends. The books are given to the baby birds to help build up home libraries. It is not an easy thing to read to little brothers and sisters so I have to provide a bit of good humored training. I pretend to be the little sibling and let the big brother or sister attempt to read to me. Just like a two year old, I snatch the book out of their hands or try to take over the reading or even walk away mid sentence. Students are always shocked but better it be with me during practice then experience frustration at home. I give students tips and tricks for reading to little one to make the experience enjoyable for all.

The Only Alex Addleston in All These Mountains by James Solheim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alex Addleston and Alex Addleston met each other on the first day of Kindergarten and became instant best friends. They remained best friends until the day Alex's family moved to Kenya to build schools.

Years went by and they lost touch until one firefly filled, night when the Alex's met again.

-- "Blog" (1/13/2014 12:00:00 AM)

A boy and a girl who share the name Alex Addleston show up on the first day of kindergarten and quickly become inseparable. But when Alex (the boy) returns from visiting his grandmother for the summer, he discovers that Alex (the girl) and her family have moved to Kenya to do humanitarian work. Can the Alexes overcome time and geography and still remain 'Harp slyamor, me zippal fwip' ('Best friends, no matter what, ' in the secret code of their favorite superhero) Although readers must first accept a modern-day world devoid of digital communication, many will know the pain of friends who move away and will get caught up in the bittersweet, dual-track story of how the Alexes grow while trying to keep their connection alive. Solheim (Born Yesterday) occasionally turns up the drama higher than necessary ('She learned to make a soccer ball dance like the memory of a boy her mind could never quite touch'), but the sheer force of his earnestness, together with Ebbeler's (Tiger in My Soup) energetic and openhearted cartooning, will propel readers through to the Alexes' equally improbable reunion. --Publishers Weekly

-- "Journal" (1/20/2014 12:00:00 AM)

In this unlikely tale, two Alex Addlestons, one a boy and the other a girl, meet in kindergarten and instantly become best friends, doing everything together. They collect frogs and trade Captain Moonbeam message rings, making up a code that means 'Best friends, no matter what.' The following summer Alex (the boy) goes to visit his grandma in Chicago, and when he returns, his friend is gone, leaving a note taped to her door explaining that her family has moved to Africa. However, the part of her note that has her new address has blown away, so he spends the next few years honoring his vow to be her best friend by whispering to her and making her presents. In the meantime, she is in Kenya, where she catches a fever and dreams about drinking cool lemonade with her friend. When they are 12, they meet again near their old homes, and endpaper illustrations reveal that they get married and have two children of their own. The text is a bit overwrought for young readers: 'She learned to make a soccer ball dance like the memory of a boy her mind could never quite touch.' Watercolor and ink illustrations provide lots to look at, with many pages set up like snapshots against a textured ground. Alex and Alex are appealing and expressive, conveying through their faraway looks the thoughts each has of the other. Still, children might just end up wondering why Alex (the girl) never wrote to her best friend, no matter what. --School Library Journal

-- "Journal" (4/1/2014 12:00:00 AM)

Author Bio

Jeffrey Ebbeler loves the creative potential of storybook art. He gives lectures and demonstrations in schools, colleges, and museums about the process of bringing words to life through pictures. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife and twin daughters. His books include Lights Out Shabbat, Cutting in Line Isn't Fair and others.