Sauerkraut
By:
Illustrator: Paul Davey
HD Schenk is a maker—an inventor, someone who builds cool stuff. He’s got a plan for the summer: he’ll build his own computer and enter it in the county fair. Then everyone will know who he is and what he can do. To earn enough money for the parts he’ll need, HD has promised to clear out his uncle’s overflowing basement. No big deal, right? But there’s more in that basement than HD bargained for. On his first trip down there, a voice only he can hear starts talking to him. About…sauerkraut?
Who knew the ghost of his great-great-grandmother was haunting an old pickling crock? She’s got a grand plan, too. She wants HD to help make her famous recipe for sauerkraut and enter it in the county fair so that she can be declared pickle queen. After some initial shock, HD is willing enough to help. This ghost is family, after all. But only HD can really see and hear his Oma, which is going to make it hard for her to win on her own…
Black-and-white illustrations.
ISBN: 9781524765965
JLG Release: Feb 2020
Sensitive Areas:
None
Topics:
Inventors
, Great-great-grandmothers
, Ghosts
, Family life
, Sauerkraut
, Friendship
, Family history
, Summer
, Computers
, County fairs
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
Maker and superhero-loving HD Schenk has a plan to build his own computer from scratch and enter it into the county fair this summer. But first he must earn enough money to buy parts, so he offers to help clear out his uncle’s basement. On his first trip downstairs, HD encounters a ghostly voice. When he finds an old pickling crock that had been Maker and superhero-loving HD Schenk has a plan to build his own computer from scratch and enter it into the county fair this summer. But first he must earn enough money to buy parts, so he offers to help clear out his uncle’s basement. On his first trip downstairs, HD encounters a ghostly voice. When he finds an old pickling crock that had been used by his great-great grandmother (Oma) to make sauerkraut, HD realizes that Oma is haunting the crock and she has a singular mission: to enter her sauerkraut in the county fair and win. As the only person who can hear Oma’s voice, HD is compelled to help her but has trouble balancing his own dreams and goals for the summer with the demanding Oma’s. Instead of keeping Oma a secret, HD introduces her first to his best friend Eli and then to his family and trusted members of his community. Oma is a strong enough ghost to work a pencil (among other kitchen equipment) and communicates with everyone through notes. This thoroughly quirky tale highlights the importance of mutual respect, community, and family heritage. HD, who is biracial and bicultural (black and German American), must constantly explain why he doesn’t look like his dad, and has integrated his parents’ different cultural backgrounds into his worldview. The grown-ups encourage HD and his friend to make time for their own goals and summer plans and respectfully accept Oma into their lives. Lists and plans and scientific observations of various projects are featured throughout, as well as warm, evocative pencil illustrations by Davey. A ghost story about family heritage and obligations that will appeal to fans of family-driven, slice-of-life tales.
Book Details
ISBN
9781524765965
First Release
February 2020
Genre
Fic
Dewey Classification
F
Trim Size
8 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Page Count
288
Accelerated Reader
Level 0; Points: 0;
Scholastic Reading Counts
Level 0; Points: 0;
Lexile
Level 750L
Format
Print Book
Edition
Library edition with trade jacket added
Publisher
Knopf
Potentially Sensitive Areas
None
Topics
Inventors, Great-great-grandmothers, Ghosts, Family life, Sauerkraut, Friendship, Family history, Summer, Computers, County fairs,
