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Julia Gillian (and The Art Of Knowing) Hardcover – June 1, 2008

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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A new middle-grade heroine is born! The first story in an extraordinary new series by a New York Times best-selling author.

Ten-year-old Julia Gillian knows everything about her quirky neighbors, her Minneapolis neighborhood, even the inscrutable "claw machine" in the back of the corner hardware store. The one thing Julia Gillian doesn't know is how the book she's reading is going to end. It doesn't seem as if it's going to have a happy ending, and that scares her. But Julia learns a little something about fear: sometimes you just have to work through it. And though bad things do happen sometimes, having good friends and family around you makes life a bit less scary - and much more fun.
Discover teachers' picks. Discover%20teachers%27%20picks.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 2–5—Nine-year-old Minneapolis resident Julia Gillian leads a comfortable urban life surrounded by caring parents and helpful neighbors. Her parents permit her to be on her own and take a nine-square-block walk for one hour with her devoted dog, Bigfoot. Each day, within these parameters, Julia Gillian explores her world. A pattern of repeated conversations, moods, and outcomes gives the child sufficient information to analyze the behavior of her neighbors, her dog, her parents, and herself. Her list of accomplishments includes making papier-mâché animal masks and knowing how other people feel. When her parents insist that she finish reading a book about a boy and an old dog, she is sure it will have an unhappy ending and goes to great lengths to avoid it. Her neighbor tells her about her own demons and says that, "Sometimes the only way out is through," and Julia's self-absorption starts to recede as she discovers that she is not alone in being afraid. The illustrations of Julia Gillian's masks and supersize St. Bernard add a whimsical note to the book. Julia Gillian isn't the perky, smart-mouthed heroine one finds in many contemporary books. Instead, she is acutely conscious of achieving a new maturity that allows her to question authority and to assert herself-not bad for a nine-year-old.—Lillian Hecker, Town of Pelham Public Library, NY
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From Booklist

For nine-year-old Julia Gillian, life in Minneapolis has been nearly perfect. But as the summer progresses, that changes. Her parents are taking summer classes, which means no picnics at the park; the stuffed meerkat that Julia wants to win in the claw machine at the hardware store seems to elude her at every try; and the newspapers her parents read are filled with depressing headlines. And then there’s the book Julia does not want to finish because she suspects it will have an unhappy ending. This gently told tale shows how she learns to deal with these bumps in the road. At times, her parents’ lax attitude toward Julia’s unsupervised wanderings may seem unrealistic, and Julia herself is a bit of an odd duck whose friends are mostly adults (except for one large, loving dog).Yet readers will root for Julia, whose appealing, if quirky, personality comes out in the plentiful sketches as well as the text. The first of an intended series. Grades 3-5. --Bina Williams

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scholastic Press; First Edition (June 1, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0545033489
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0545033480
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 810L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 1 x 7.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

About the author

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Alison McGhee
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Alison McGhee is a New York Times bestselling writers of books for all ages in all forms, including Telephone of the Tree, What I Leave Behind, Shadow Baby, and the international bestseller Someday. Her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in Minneapolis but loves to travel and can often be found on the road. She teaches creative writing online and you can find her at alisonmcghee dot com and @ alisonmcgheewriter.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
13 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2012
    I read this book with my granddaughter. She loves dogs and really enjoyed reading the book.
    Alison Mcghee lets children know their will be good time and sad time if you own a pet and it is ok to have feelings about them.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2017
    Fun book for kids .. Love the Saint Bernard and love that they are in our hometown.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2018
    Love this series. Lots of difficult subjects for kids handled compassionately and with understanding. Julia Gillian is an easy character to relate to.
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2012
    I have a 9 year old daughter and she just loved this book.
    She did not put it down till she was done.
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2009
    Before I buy a book for our school library, I (or one of my reviewers) read it first to make sure it is suitable material for our school. My reviewer read this book, and to the question, "Do you think this book should be put in our library?" she responded with "No, the story doesn't have a meaningful theme to it." Now, I love to read, and always find good things in books, so I didn't trust her answer, so I read the book myself. But I just couldn't get into it! It was weird, didn't go anywhere, and definitely not worth the effort putting it into our library. I do like the bigger print and well-spaced pages. But I just remember a jumble of meerkats and masks and Bigfoot and Enzo and the green book and the art of knowing. I only skimmed the last half of it.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2022
    This book has held the attention of my daughter with autism for years. It is her absolute favorite. I think she can identify with the main character’s desire to control her environment and her fear of change. The concrete descriptions of everyday life and emotions are compelling and I love the story as well. My daughter is also blind so the version on cd has been purchased many times over the years. I feel like these characters are part of our everyday lives. Wish I could get in touch with the author and get a signed copy.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2009
    Julia Gillian is quite accomplished for a nine-year-old. Thus far she's mastered the art of making papier-mâché masks, spreading her gum evenly across her teeth, and knowing exactly what her dog, Bigfoot, is saying even though he doesn't speak "human."

    Though she hasn't yet conquered the claw machine at Bryant Hardware by grabbing the stuffed meerkat, Julia keeps her skills sharp every Friday and Sunday afternoon during her walks around the neighborhood with Bigfoot.

    By far and away though, Julia Gillian's greatest skill is the art of knowing. For instance: she knows what her mother's making for breakfast before entering the kitchen, she knows the newspaper is full of nothing but bad news, and thirty-six pages into her new green book from Quinn Booksellers, she *knows* the story isn't going to end well.

    Set in Minneapolis, JULIA GILLIAN (AND THE ART OF KNOWING) is a down-to-earth story featuring a precocious young girl's struggle figuring out how to deal with the unsettling realities life (sometimes) presents.

    A few people might object to Julia's lack of summertime playmates, especially living in a large city; having grown up an only child, though, I can attest to the challenges of ferreting out peers.

    Alison McGhee gives children an intelligent and determined central character dealing with relatable problems in an honest, straightforward narrative. I'm definitely setting this one aside to pass on to my nieces.

    Reviewed by: Cat
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2009
    Ordered this for my Granddaughter who is in first grade but is reading on a third grade level. She loved it because it is a chapter book and very interesting. That's big time to young readers!