Summary: a little girl from Houston visits her grandma in the city of New York where she is promised to go to bloomingdales, but never ends up making it there. Instead she learns about new things such as the empire state building, the play peter pan, carriage rides, city marches/protests and the subway.

Genre: this is realistic fiction because it is a story that actually could happen but it is not actually about a real person.

Characterization: The grandma is a funny character. she is the protagonist yet also in a way an antagonist because she promises to get Amy to Bloomingdales but never manages to ever actually get her there because there are so many other things to do. She is a flat character because she does not really grow in the book, but stays forgetful and interested throughout the story.

media: acrylic paint ( )

Having enjoyed Konigsburg as a young adult novelist, I picked up this children's picture book by her excited to see what unique ways of writing and illustrating she would bring to a story about New York. Sadly, I was disappointed by both the lack of a compelling storyline and uncompelling drawings that couldn't make up for bland and wordy sequences of dialogue. This book tells the story of Amy Elizabeth, a native Texan who goes to New York City to visit her grandmother. They spend a whole week attempting to see Bloomingdale's, but always get sidetracked by other fun things to see, and never end up making it to the famou store. Amy Elizabeth is a bit of a spoiled brat and I never truly identified with her or believed in her change of heart at the end of the story. The drawings usually displayed only what the text was saying, with small vignette drawings that attempted to fill in additional elements of the plot. I was sad that a story about a city that most children find intriguing ended up being boring and bland, with uncompelling drawings. I guess I'll just stick to A View from Saturday. ( )

Age Appropriateness: Primary
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Critique: This story is about a little girl and her grandma who see the sights of New York City, and nothing out of the ordinary happens to make it a fantasy or anything else. So it is realistic. This book is a great example of setting because the sights, sounds, and smells of NYC are described very well. ( )

Media: Watercolor
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Critique: This realistic fiction is set in modern time in New York, and follows the realistic interactions of a girl visiting her grandmother in New York City. This book has a very distinct setting, and we can follow the young girls journey through New York as she visits Central Park, the Empire State building and other landmarks. ( )

E.L. Konigsburg Week 2012, Book 4. 3.5/5 stars. ( )