26 Fairmount Avenue By Tomie DePaola

DePaola, T. (2001). 26 Fairmount Avenue (Newbery Honor Book, 2000). New York: Putnam Juvenile.

In 26 Fairmount Avenue, Tomie DePaola writes about the challenges and set backs his family faces as they build their home. This chapter book is set in the 1930's with the story being written through Tomie's eyes. While the title of the book, 26 Fairmount Avenue, is the final setting of this story, it primarily takes place in the town of Meriden, Connecticut. Tomie's family continues to get hit by setbacks as they attempt to move forward with their plans to build a new home- The climax of this story is the end, when Tomie and his family finally move into 26 Fairmount Avenue. The events leading up to this, are described in each of the chapters, in chronological order, until move-in day. Throughout this book, we learn about Tomie's family and some of the more memorable times he enjoyed with his relatives, even his "upstairs" grandma.

This Newberry Honor chapter book uses the power of understatement to draw the reader in, making their own conclusions and relating to Tomie. The readers are able to make a connection with the story he tells. In this book, too, Tomie DePaola uses the precise vocabulary to engage the reader and bring the writing to life.