Whittington, Alan Armstrong
Whittington, Alan Armstrong
List: $15.00 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.50

Whittington

Author: Alan Armstrong

Narrator: Joel Rooks

Unabridged: 4 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/22/2006


Synopsis

The power of reading is beautifully captured in this 2006 Newbery Honor-winning book.
Bernie keeps a barn full of animals the rest of the world has no use for–two retired trotters, a rooster, some banty hens, and a Muscovy duck with clipped wings who calls herself The Lady. When the cat called Whittington shows up one day, it is to the Lady that he makes an appeal to secure a place in the barn. The Lady’s a little hesitant at first, but when the cat claims to be a master ratter, that clinches it.
Bernie’ s orphaned grandkids, Abby and Ben, come to the barn every day to help feed the animals. Abby shares her worry that Ben can’t really read yet and that he refuses to go to Special Ed. Whittington and the Lady decide that Abby should give Ben reading lessons in the barn. It is a balm for Ben when, having toughed out the daily lesson, Whittington comes to tell, in tantalizing installments, the story handed down to him from his nameless forebearer, Dick Whittington’s cat–the legend of the lad born into poverty in rural England during the Black Death, who runs away to London to seek his fortune. This is an unforgettable tale about how learning to read saves one little boy. It is about the healing, transcendent power of storytelling and how, if you have loved ones surrounding you and good stories to tell, to listen to, and to read, you have just about everything of value in this world.

About The Author

Alan Armstrong's first book, Whittington, was awarded the Newbery Honor in 2006. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Martha, a painter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Miranda on December 09, 2020

There was a cold wind. It smelled like snow. Bernie and his wife Marion have a tendency to take in anything that needs a home. Whether it be a duck, goose, goat or horse...if some poor soulneeds a place to be, they will be that place. Enter Whittington, a cat with a chip on his shoulder and a his......more

Goodreads review by Deacon Tom on July 19, 2021

An outstanding book that mixed cute animal fantasy and a wonderful family story Probably it’s a modern retelling of the old English folktale “Dick Whittington and His Cat. Fun characters and a pleasant storyline. I recommend for family read alongs.......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on March 28, 2016

I vaguely remember reading this book when it won the Newbery Honor, and being confused by it. The cat could talk? Or . . . the kids were imagining it? It also plays off the fact that you already know Dick Whittington and his cat, which I had heard of, as in, I knew the name but not why. Kids who lov......more

Goodreads review by Razan on February 19, 2017

I feel so sorry for the 7&8 students who have to read this book for their English class in the school I work at. An unbelievably boring, uneventful, poorly written novel that has zero suspense. There's no character development, the plot was so boring..it barely had a punch line and the grammar, oh L......more

Goodreads review by Kris on September 28, 2019

It's a wannabe-Charlotte's Web. Okay, that's harsh. It does have some merit in its own right. It's the story of an English boy and his cat in nineteenth-century London, told by a cat, while amidst the setting of animals in a barn in twentieth-century America. Takes place over the course of a year, as......more


Quotes

"This superior novel interweaves animal fantasy and family story with a retelling of the English folktale “Dick Whittington and His Cat.” Teachers and librarians…take note: Whittington reads aloud beautifully, and the extended happy ending will leave everyone smiling in delight." --School Library Journal, starred


Awards

  • ALA Notable Children's Book
  • Nebraska Golden Sower Award
  • New Mexico Land of Enchantment Book Award
  • Newbery Honor Book
  • Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award
  • Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award
  • Washington Sasquatch Reading Program