The Year of Billy Miller

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes is a 2014 Newbery Honor Book, and I'm working on reading all the 2014 Newberys right now.  This book is about second grader Billy Miller and his interactions with his teacher (part 1), dad (part 2), sister (part 3), and mom (part 4).  From making a diorama for school to dealing with his crying little sister to wanting to stay up super late, Billy is just your typical, likable kid.

This was a quick, cute read.  It was written for a much younger audience than books I usually read.  (This is a lower elementary book--like first through third grade readers.)  I only read it because it's a Newbery, and I have a goal to just read as many of them as possible.  It was a well-written book and a cute story, but I didn't really feel like I got much out of it...most likely since it was written for 7-year-olds.  :) There just wasn't any big climax or conflict or anything; rather, it was just more focused on Billy's day-to-day life.  But I think it will be a cute book to recommend to or read aloud with Emmeline when she's a little older.

Rating: * (1/3 = It was okay)