I started reading Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes with pretty high expectations. Everyone who had read the book before me told me what a good book it was and that I would love it. While I enjoyed reading this book, it was not one of my favorites. I thought that "Uncle Benny" was strange and often had trouble feeling as though the characters were real. Often I also thought that the book was getting long.
However, I could see how this could be a good book that many people would enjoy. The story line was cute and if some of the language was modernized I may have liked it more.
This story was about the Pye family, mainly Jerry and Rachel. Jerry buys a dog, Ginger Pye. This is going to be the smartest dog ever! Jerry says that his dog is going to be able to do tricks that no other dog can do! However, shortly after they buy their dog Ginger, they notice someone following them. All they can see of this person is their yellow hat. This person, their mother says, is an unsavory character, so they nickname the fellow "Unsavory". Unsavory is found to be following the Pyes on several occasions and eventually Ginger goes missing. The Pyes are on a search for their missing dog. Did Unsavory steal him?
While the plot was cute, I just had trouble getting into this book. I didn't have the desire I've had with prior books to keep reading. I see why in 1952 this book might have won the Newberry Award, but I feel that now it is rather outdated. The pictures were cute too but they were pretty widely spaced and not always very clear. If I had to rate this book on a scale of 1 to 5 I would give it a 3.
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