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Full of Beans Paperback – April 10, 2018
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Five Starred Reviews!
A New York Public Library Best Book for Kids, 2016
Grown-ups lie. That’s one truth Beans knows for sure. He and his gang know how to spot a whopper a mile away, because they are the savviest bunch of barefoot conchs (that means “locals”) in all of Key West. Not that Beans really minds; it’s 1934, the middle of the Great Depression. With no jobs on the island, and no money anywhere, who can really blame the grown-ups for telling a few tales? Besides, Beans isn’t anyone’s fool. In fact, he has plans. Big plans. And the consequences might surprise even Beans himself.
Return to the wonderful world of Newbery Honor Book Turtle in Paradise through the eyes of Turtle’s cousin Beans!
"A surprising coming-of-age story with a remarkably honest message." —The New York Times
"[Holm] captures this colorful slice of Depression history with her usual vivacious wit. . . . Children will love Beans." —Shelf Awareness, Starred
"A novel as entertaining as the motion pictures [Beans] loves to see."—The Horn Book Magazine, Starred
“Inspired by actual events, Holm’s talent for writing historical fiction is on full display. . . . Interesting family and small-town dynamics further enrich this fascinating account of a young boy’s life in Florida’s ‘Recovery Key.’” —Booklist, Starred
"Filled with humor, heart, and warmth." —Kirkus Review, Starred
"Entertaining and illuminating historical fiction." —Publishers Weekly, Starred
- Reading age8 - 12 years
- Print length224 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level3 - 7
- Lexile measure490L
- Dimensions5.19 x 0.5 x 7.56 inches
- PublisherYearling
- Publication dateApril 10, 2018
- ISBN-10055351038X
- ISBN-13978-0553510386
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TURTLE IN PARADISE | TURTLE IN PARADISE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL | PENNY FROM HEAVEN | THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH | THE THIRD MUSHROOM | THE LION OF MARS | |
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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Price | $7.89$7.89 | $8.89$8.89 | $7.98$7.98 | $6.78$6.78 | $8.36$8.36 | $10.69$10.69 |
Read more from award-winning author Jennifer L. Holm! | The Newbery Honor winning novel about the adventures of 11-year-old Turtle. | A graphic novel adaptation of the Newbery Honor winning novel about the adventures of 11-year-old Turtle. | Penny and her cousin Frankie have big ideas for the summer, but things do not go according to plan. | Celebrate the wonder of science in this perfect read about a child's relationship with her grandfather! | Ellie teams up with her grandpa to find the formula for eternal youth. | When a virus breaks out on Mars and the grown-ups fall ill, it’s up to the children to save them all. |
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Filled with humor, heart, and warmth; readers can only hope to hear more about the Curry clan." —Kirkus Review starred review
"Period details—like keeping Sears and Roebuck catalogues handy in outhouses, “marble mania,” people with leprosy hidden by their families, and the Shirley Temple craze—make for entertaining and illuminating historical fiction."—Publishers Weekly starred review
"Multifaceted supporting characters—an intrepid group of friends (all with nicknames such as Pork Chop and Too Bad), a fussy baby brother, a pushy girl nemesis, a mean grandmother, a Key West resident afflicted with leprosy—are all seen through Bean’s refreshingly honest eyes and create a novel as entertaining as the motion pictures he loves to see."—The Horn Book Magazine starred review
"Holm, who has family ties to Key West, captures this colorful slice of Depression history with her usual vivacious wit and colorful expressions..." —Shelf Awareness, starred review
Praise for Jennifer L. Holm:
“As a storyteller, Holm is superb.”— School Library Journal
“Holm impressively wraps pathos with comedy.”— Booklist
“Anyone interested in learning to write crowd-pleasing historical fiction for elementary school readers would be wise to study Holm’s work.”— Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Sweet, funny and superb.”— Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1
LYING LIARS
JULY 1934
Look here, Mac. I’m gonna give it to you straight: grown-ups lie.
Sure, they like to say that kids make things up and that we don’t tell the truth. But they’re the lying liars.
Take President Roosevelt. He’s been saying on the radio that the economy was improving, when anyone with two eyes could see the only thing getting better was my mother’s ability to patch holes in pants. Not that she had a choice. There was no money for new threads with Poppy out of work. It was either that or let us go naked.
Then there was Winky. He was the lyingest liar of them all.
“You said twenty cans for a dime, Winky!” I pointed at the small red wagon.
It was full of empty condensed-milk cans. I found them for Winky and cleaned them up. Even smoothed the sharp edges. Winky sold the cans to Pepe’s Café, where they used them to serve café con leche—espresso and condensed milk. Everyone in Key West drank leche, even toddlers.
“You must have wax in your ears, Beans,” Winky replied. He had a potbelly and slicked-back, greasy hair that matched his slippery ways. The armpits of his Cuban-style shirt were stained yellow. “I said fifty cans.”
I was so burned up by his words that steam just about burst out of my ears. And believe me, it was sweltering outside. Key West in July was stinking hot.
Especially stinking.
Garbage had been piling up ever since the town ran out of money to pay for collecting it. Flies swarmed above the rotting mounds. They were filthy and disgusting, and my brother and I had spent the entire morning in them.
Me and Kermit had dug through steaming piles of garbage from one side of Key West to the other, looking for milk cans. We’d dodged stray dogs and mosquitoes and fearless rats. I couldn’t imagine a worse job in the whole world. Except maybe cleaning outhouses.
Now Winky was trying to cheat us out of our money?
“I heard you just fine,” I told him. “You said twenty.”
“Sorry, but you’re full of beans, Beans,” Winky said, and then laughed. “Look: I made a joke. Get it? Full of beans?”
“Hilarious,” I said, and glared. “You’re a regular comedian, Winky.”
“I suppose I could give you a nickel for twenty,” Winky offered us, like he was a king doing us a favor.
“A nickel?” I wasn’t very good at arithmetic, but even I knew that this was a lousy deal.
“Sorry, Beans,” Winky added with a smirk. “Maybe you can find someone else to sell the cans to?”
I glared at him. I would if I could, but everyone knew that Winky had the only milk can game in town. He was a cousin of Pepe’s.
“Beans,” Kermit whined, tugging on my shirt. “I’m hungry.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. Kermit wore crooked glasses and couldn’t drive a bargain with a kitten.
Winky saw the advantage and took it. A fake kindly expression lit up his face. “Why, Beans. Your little brother’s hungry. I bet a nickel would buy a nice lunch.”
I swallowed my pride.
“Fine,” I muttered. “We’ll take the nickel.”
“What’s that?” Winky asked loudly. “I didn’t quite hear you.”
I glared at him.
“I said we’ll take the nickel!”
He dropped the coin into my outstretched palm.
“C’mon, Kermit,” I snapped. “Let’s go.”
As we walked away, Winky shouted, “Always a pleasure doing business with you, Beans!”
I’d been Winkied again.
We sat in the shade of a sapodilla tree, eating our lunch. Broadcasts from radios tuned to Havana stations drifted out open windows. The streets were deserted. Everyone took siestas to avoid the worst heat of the day. Key West at noon was sleepy.
“That’s the last time we work for him,” I muttered.
“You say that every time, Beans,” Kermit said, munching on the measly lunch the nickel had bought us: cracker sandwiches. Crackers with a smear of mustard and a tiny bit of ham.
I’d wanted to buy a real ham sandwich from Pepe’s Café. They made it Cuban-style—ham, mustard, cheese, and pickles, toasted on fresh Cuban bread. It was delicious.
“Well, this time I mean it,” I vowed.
“Aw, he’s not that bad,” Kermit replied. “He gave us a nickel!”
“We earned a dime, Kermit.”
Kermit was only eight and didn’t understand how life worked. Maybe when he got to be ten, like me, he’d smarten up.
“Gee, do you think if we collect fifty cans for Winky tomorrow, he’ll give us another nickel?” Kermit asked.
Then again, maybe not.
“I’m still hungry,” Kermit complained.
“Get some dilly gum,” I told him. The sap of the sapodilla tree made good chewing gum if you didn’t much care about taste.
Kermit scraped back some bark and dug out a wad of the sticky sap. Then he started chewing. Getting it soft took a while. Even though it was free, it still took work.
A rumbling motor had my ears pricking up. There weren’t many cars in Key West; even the folks who owned them couldn’t afford gas.
The shiny automobile rolled down the dirt road, hitting every gaping pothole. It looked strange and out of place, like something from a Hollywood picture.
Kermit gave a low whistle. “That’s some ride!”
“It’s a Ford Model 730 Deluxe V-8 sedan,” I told him. I’d recognized it immediately from the newsreels. “The same car that Bonnie and Clyde drove.”
Everyone knew about the dead outlaws.
Kermit looked at me. “You think a criminal is driving that car, Beans?”
The car slid to a stop and parked across from us, and a man climbed out.
“I doubt it,” I said. I couldn’t imagine any criminal who walked around without trousers.
Kermit’s eyes bugged out behind his glasses. “Is he just wearing his underpants?”
“Sure looks that way.”
The underpants in question were long; they hit him just above the knee. They showed off pasty-white, hairy legs. On top, the portly man sported a long-sleeved suit shirt with a bow tie. He finished off the whole ensemble with a fedora. Maybe he was someone’s relative who had just gotten out of the loony bin. Wouldn’t be the first time.
He wrinkled his nose and looked around.
“My, that certainly is a powerful smell,” he said, walking over to us. He had a thick mustache, and from the way he spoke, I could tell he was from off the rock. A stranger.
“You should smell us, mister!” Kermit exclaimed. “We been in that garbage all morning!”
The fella looked us up and down, from our bare feet to our patched-up pants. “Yes, it seems you have. Who might you young gentlemen be?”
“I’m Kermit!” Kermit was like the mayor of Key West. Kid would talk to anybody. “This is my brother Beans!”
“How quaint,” he murmured.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Did you just insult us?”
“Of course not, young fella. Why, I’m here to help you.” He held out his hand. “I’m Julius Stone, Jr. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
I stared at the outstretched hand but didn’t take it. When someone says they’re gonna help you, they’re just waiting to stick their hand in your pocket and take your last penny. I should know. I got relatives.
“Mister,” I said, “you’re the one that needs help. You ain’t got no pants.”
He looked offended. “They’re supposed to look like this! They’re called Bermuda shorts. They’re the latest fashion.”
At loony bins, no doubt.
“So, tell me, Peas . . . ,” he began.
Peas? Maybe he was deaf in addition to being crazy.
“Is the rest of the town in a similar state?” he asked. He waved his hands at the weathered gray wooden houses, set close together, that lined the street.
“What do you mean?” I asked him.
“Are all the houses this decrepit?”
“Huh?”
“Run-down,” he said bluntly. “Unpainted. Falling over. Crumbling. Et cetera.”
“I guess,” I said with a shrug. Most folks in Key West were on relief. Paint was a luxury. Our town looked like a tired black-and-white movie.
The man frowned.
“Where you from, mister?” Kermit asked.
“Why, I’ve come all the way from Washington, D.C. I’ve been sent here by President Roosevelt himself!”
Yep. Definitely a lunatic.
“Sure, the president sent you,” I said, and laughed.
Mr. Stone looked offended. “You don’t believe me?”
“ ’Course I believe you, mister,” I said. “Why, we just had the Queen of England visit here last week.”
“I’m not lying!”
But I just shook my head. “Whatever you say, mister.”
Like I said: grown-ups are lying liars.
Product details
- Publisher : Yearling; Reprint edition (April 10, 2018)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 224 pages
- ISBN-10 : 055351038X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0553510386
- Reading age : 8 - 12 years
- Lexile measure : 490L
- Grade level : 3 - 7
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.19 x 0.5 x 7.56 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #175,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #181 in Children's 1900s American Historical Fiction
- #263 in Children's Books on the U.S.
- #3,168 in Children's Friendship Books
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Jennifer L. Holm is the NEW YORK TIMES-bestselling children's author of THE LION OF MARS and THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH. She is the recipient of three Newbery Honors for her novels OUR ONLY MAY AMELIA, PENNY FROM HEAVEN, and TURTLE IN PARADISE and a Scott O'Dell Award for her novel FULL OF BEANS.
Jennifer collaborates with her brother, Matthew Holm, on two graphic novel series -- the Eisner Award-winning Babymouse series which has more than 3.4 million books in print (!) and the bestselling Squish series. SQUISH is now an animated tv series on HBO MAX!
For more information, visit her website at www.jenniferholm.com.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable to read. They appreciate the interesting storyline and historical fiction setting. The characters are praised for their development and humor.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book engaging with a sense of humor. They describe it as an interesting read with a good moral about not lying. The characters are likeable and the book is entertaining. It's a continuation of Jennifer Holm's other works and a great way for kids to learn about an era they rarely encounter.
"...fiction, I think I could get them to read this since Beans is such a likeable, interesting character...." Read more
"...We both Enjoyed every single page of it! Teaches a lot about the situation of life in a part of history...." Read more
"...this book gives it a fictional twist, making it interesting, and a great read. It was quick, fun, and I loved all of the characters." Read more
"Great for kids to learn about an era they rarely encounter." Read more
Customers enjoy the story. They find it engaging and say the book draws them into the theme of the story. The historical fiction novel based on Holm's family history is described as a wonderful read about a city during the Great Depression.
"Jennifer Holm has written another really appealing historical fiction novel based on her family history...." Read more
"...he reads a chapter and I read a chapter and we are both greatly enjoying the story...." Read more
"...I had no idea of the amazing history surrounding the Key West in Florida, and this book gives it a fictional twist, making it interesting, and a..." Read more
"About The Depression, so great history lesson to it also!" Read more
Customers enjoy the humor of the book. They find it entertaining and educational.
"Funny book, well written." Read more
"Great book with a wonderful sense of humor woven throughout! My students loved it." Read more
"Awesome. Entertaining and educational. My kid and I loved it!!!" Read more
"So humorous!..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's characters.
"...Holm has written another winner with great characters, a fabulous setting, and an interesting plot." Read more
"...It was quick, fun, and I loved all of the characters." Read more
"Such a good book. Love the characters." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2016Jennifer Holm has written another really appealing historical fiction novel based on her family history. While I don't normally have much luck getting students to read historical fiction, I think I could get them to read this since Beans is such a likeable, interesting character. I also loved Key West as a setting and watching it change for the better. Beans willingness to work to earn money to go to the movies and help out his mom is a major plot point that leads to conflict when Beans starts working for a bootlegger who asks him to set off fire alarms to help him transport contraband. The pay is good but the consequences are not and Beans is left trying to make up for his mistakes. The friendships as well as the other people Beans interacts with make the story an interesting one. Beans' little brother Kermit, his grandmother Nana Philly (the meanest woman in Key West), and his feud with Dot (a girl!) all play a role in the choices Beans makes and who he ends up deciding to be. Holm has written another winner with great characters, a fabulous setting, and an interesting plot.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2020My entering sixth grader has to be forced to read anything other than graphic novels or the Wimpy Kid style books. While I am fine with that generally, I do like for him to read the occasional word-only book and he needed a book for his sixth grade summer reading presentation. I scoured the school recommended book list and finally decided on this one as his 'mom-decree' book, and it has not disappointed!
We are reading this out loud together, he reads a chapter and I read a chapter and we are both greatly enjoying the story. This book is also leading us down some fantastic research rabbit-holes. We have had wonderful discussions about life during the Depression, FDR, the New Deal, the discovery of penicillin and how that changed how we view illness, why adults sometimes lie to kids and many other topics. I highly recommend this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2019I got this book for my 10 year old son, I also read it to help him with his book report. We both Enjoyed every single page of it! Teaches a lot about the situation of life in a part of history. Teaches very good Ethical lessons, specially at the end. The only problem I didn’t like was that it also shows some bad behaviors done by the kids in the story. Even though at the end she shows the bad consequences of their behavior to teach a lesson, but I feel showing those behaviors may have some negative effects on the young kids.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2019I purchased this book for my children's literature class, and was pleasantly surprised! I had no idea of the amazing history surrounding the Key West in Florida, and this book gives it a fictional twist, making it interesting, and a great read. It was quick, fun, and I loved all of the characters.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2018Great for kids to learn about an era they rarely encounter.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2022About The Depression, so great history lesson to it also!
- Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2016Does building resilience in kids mean they have to be able to handle everything by themselves? Or that they can weather the hard times, with their sense of self intact? I adore Jennifer Holm's newest novel Full of Beans precisely for the way that Beans struggles through hard times, learning about the consequences of his decisions, yet never losing his sense of humor or his loyalty to his family and friends.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2021This book is a wonderful story about a city during the great depression! The main boy beans is so relatable! I loved it!
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 7, 2019
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny
Fun reading
- MidoriReviewed in Australia on December 19, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book
A humorous story of a rag muffin boy with an even dirtier dog, Beans and Termite. They are born in the town of Key West.
When people from more developed parts of the country come to turn this dirty town into a tourist resort, not everyone is happy. These new people are ruining their beloved town and Beans and his gang desperately look for a job to gain money.
When his first job is a mess, he is left feeling deceitful and guilty. Follow Beans throughout a journey as he learns the fruit of honesty, friendship and selflessness. Definitely recommended.
-HM
11 years