Ship of Dolls

by Shirley Parenteau

Overview

“Tender and funny, this story of friendship and family is reminiscent of Beverly Cleary’s work.” — School Library Journal

It’s 1926, and eleven-year-old Lexie Lewis wants to leave Portland, Oregon, where she has been staying with her strict grandparents, and rejoin her mother, a singer in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Lexie’s class has been raising money to ship a doll to the children of Japan in a friendship exchange — and when Lexie learns that the girl who writes the best letter will be chosen to go to the farewell ceremony in San Francisco, she knows she just has to be the winner. Inspired by a project in which U.S. children sent more than 12,000 Friendship Dolls to Japan in hopes of avoiding a future war, Shirley Parenteau’s engaging story has sure appeal for readers who enjoy historical fiction and for doll lovers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763697792
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	11/14/2017
Series:	The Friendship Dolls
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.73(d)
Lexile:	670L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Shirley Parenteau is the author of many books for young people, including the picture books Bears on Chairs, Bears in Beds, and Bears in the Bath. She lives with her husband in Elk Grove, California.

Editorial Reviews

Tender and funny, this story of friendship and family is reminiscent of Beverly Cleary’s work. Fans of Ramona will have no trouble connecting with and rooting for lively and likable Lexie, and doll aficionados will also enjoy this engaging title.
—School Library Journal

In Parenteau’s well-conceived story, transformations come slowly and believably... Parenteau weaves in information about the Friendship Dolls so subtly that it never overshadows Lexie’s story; an author’s note explains the project in full.
—Publishers Weekly

Period details from the actual 1926 exchange of Friendship Dolls provide fascinating context for this old-fashioned heroine’s journey of personal growth. ... Historically inclined readers will enjoy this heartwarming story and its feisty heroine.
—Kirkus Reviews

Set in 1926, this moving description of a child’s coming to terms with a new family arrangement includes a real event: an exchange of dolls between Japanese and U.S. schoolchildren conceived as a message of peace. Period details abound, but what rings most historically true is the 11-year-old’s relationship with dolls: Emily Grace, who will carry goodwill messages to Japan; and Annie, recipient of confidences and not a few tears.
—Booklist

The true story of how American children sent more than twelve thousand dolls to Japan in 1927—to promote friendship, trust, and future peace—serves as backdrop to this well-crafted, involving story.
—The Horn Book

The 1920s setting is nicely rendered through dialogue and descriptive details, and Lexie is a sympathetic heroine. The doll “ambassadors of peace” premise is also interesting and historically true, and an author’s note on the real story is provided.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Students will relate to Lexie as she faces her dilemmas. She is a realistic character.
—Library Media Connection

From the Publisher

05/12/2014
Parenteau (Bears in the Bath) deftly incorporates the 1926 Friendship Dolls project—in which American children collected and sent more than 12,000 dolls to Japanese children as a gesture of friendship—into the story of 11-year-old Lexie Lewis, who has been sent to live with her strict paternal grandparents in Portland, Ore. Her father dead in a car crash and her insouciant flapper mother remarried, Lexie is struggling to adapt to her new circumstances. Her class has contributed a doll to send to Japan, and when Lexie learns she has a chance to rejoin her mother at a farewell party for the dolls in San Francisco, she’s determined to win that opportunity. While Lexie encounters more than her share of bad luck, she never stops persevering. In Parenteau’s well-conceived story, transformations come slowly and believably; Lexie warms to her grandparents and mischievous neighbor, Jack; her grandmother comes through for her in unexpected ways; and even her nemesis, a snotty classmate, shows some character. Parenteau weaves in information about the Friendship Dolls so subtly that it never overshadows Lexie’s story; an author’s note explains the project in full. Ages 8–12. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

07/01/2014
Gr 3–6—The year is 1926, and 11-year-old Lexie is having a difficult time adjusting to her new life with her grandparents in Portland, Oregon, after her widowed mother remarries. She still grieves for her father who died in a car accident and misses her fun-loving, free-wheeling (and somewhat neglectful) flapper mother. In addition, she has trouble making friends at school and finds conforming to her grandmother's "old-fashioned" set of rules a challenge. When Lexie's school offers a writing contest in which the winning student will accompany a handmade "friendship doll" to a celebration in San Francisco, she is determined to win and reunite with her mother. However, a series of white lies, a stolen contest entry, and an unexpected trip to San Francisco throw Lexie's own life into turmoil as she struggles to find happiness and do the right thing. The story is based on a historical occurrence amid growing international tensions, when more than 12,000 dolls were created by school children nationwide and shipped to Japan as a gesture of peace. Tender and funny, this story of friendship and family is reminiscent of Beverly Cleary's work. Fans of Ramona will have no trouble connecting with and rooting for lively and likable Lexie, and doll aficionados will also enjoy this engaging title.—Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

It's 1926. Lexi's father has recently passed away, and her mother (“that flapper,” according to Grandma) has left Lexi in the care of her grandparents while she pursues a career on the stage. With a youthful voice and a precise, engaging delivery, Kate Reinders hits all the emotional notes in this heartwarming coming-of-age story. Pining for her mother, Lexi focuses on winning a school contest that could reunite them. Unfortunately, the competition isn't fair. Reinders's determined, high-pitched voice conveys Lexi's resiliency throughout, while her use of hushed tones reveals Lexi's vulnerability. Despite her loneliness, Lexi comes to find friends and allies around her, including her neighbor, Jack, whose endearing devilishness shines in Reinders's raspy voice. A.S. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2014 - AudioFile

2014-05-14
An 11-year-old girl living in Portland, Oregon, in 1926 learns about love when she plans to leave her protective grandparents to join her unconventional mother.Following her father's death and her mother's remarriage, Lexie was sent to live with her strict paternal grandparents, who don't approve of her free-spirited, flapper mother. When her class participates in a project to buy a doll to send with thousands of other dolls from across America to Japan for the Hinamatsuri festival, Lexie's determined to win a contest for the best letter to accompany the doll, as the winner will attend a send-off party in San Francisco, where her mother will be singing. In her frenzy to win, Lexie disappoints her teacher, grandmother and best friend, Jack, with her thoughtless acts, mishaps and half-truths. Learning from her mistakes, Lexie drafts the perfect letter—which a classmate surreptitiously steals and successfully passes off as her own. When her grandparents sacrifice to send her to San Francisco anyway, Lexie must choose between their steady love and her mother's frivolous affection. Period details from the actual 1926 exchange of Friendship Dolls provide fascinating context for this old-fashioned heroine's journey of personal growth.Historically inclined readers will enjoy this heartwarming story and its feisty heroine. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews