G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth

Excellent work by a favorite author! Ms. O'Connor is a fresh voice able to communicate across generations. This book appeals to me as someone who came up during the Viet Nam war and as a way to explain that troubled time to my grandchildren and other young people of today, Her characters are fresh and believable and will touch your heart. The story hearkens back to a complicated time in our history, but also a simpler time before instant messaging and texting and snap chat when one had to think before speaking because communication was by the written letter which could be reviewed for kindness and appropriateness of content. Highly recommended for lovers of historical novels and young students of history.

My daughter was assigned book for class reading. At first she didn’t like the way the letters were written. We started reading it out loud and she began to have a lot of questions about the Vietnam war and historical accounts. It was nice to share with her and explain. She really enjoyed the book and finished it on her own.

This was a heartfelt story about a preteen and a recluse as they communicate through letters. This is such a wonderful book.

Although the book takes place during the Vietnam War, the issues it raises apply to any time. Reenie, a precocious 11-year-old, corresponds with both a soldier stationed in Vietn am and one of the town's few pacifists. Through the letters, she explores the tricky gray areas of when and how to take action against bullies, both schoolyard and national, and how one can be both a loyal patriot and a pacifist. Loved the both the characters and the historical detail.

If you're tempted to feel nostalgic for 50 years ago, you'll love this book. Reenie Kelly, aged 11, has just arrived in a new town where she and her brother will live with their grandmother. Her father has gone off to work in construction in another state. The family has been bankrupted by bills following her mother's death from cancer. So Reenie must adjust to the loss of her mom, her home and her friends, all at once.Reenie fights to get a paper route, along with her brother Dare, although few girls delivered papers back then. She meets everyone on her route except reclusive Mr. Marsworth, an older gentleman living with his cat and his personal assistant. When Mr. Marsworth refuses to meet her, Reenie keeps sending him letters. She writes about her life and the scrapes she's getting into. She writes about the boys who torment her and how she retaliates -- episodes that would be handled very differently today. She writes about her brother Billy, who's being forced to drop out of college due to the family's financial circumstances, and who's in danger of being drafted once he loses his educational deferment.Reenie gradually learns about Mr. Marsworth, who periodically sends typed replies in response to her letters. He manages to convey a great deal in a few sentences. And just being around town, Reenie learns even more.I happen to love books written as letters. In this one, Reenie's letters are set in script, more or less resembling handwriting. Mr. Marsworth's letters are typed. Other people's are shown in varied handwriting that's not too different. The handwriting isn't that hard to read, but it's obviously not as straightforward as type. And Reenie's letters take up most of the pages.Through Reenie's letters, we get a sense of the conflict that raged back then: war protesters vs. warriors. Reenie has a soldier pen pal from a previous school assignment. She understands that soldiers get killed and wounded. She doesn't want Billy to go, and soon finds an ally in Mr. Marsworth. And as the book continues, she discovers some surprising reasons Mr. Marsworth might be so willing to help and so tolerant of her letters.Although it's supposed to be a YA book, the subject matter seems a little mature for junior high students. Reenie herself seems frightfully mature for an 11-year-old. Her writing style seems a little too polished, especially for handwritten notes with no rewrites or corrections.Additionally, back in the 1960s, bankruptcy from medical bills was much rarer than today, according to the sources I found online. Cancer treatments were more limited. It's a plausible but not likely premise for the story. The family could have gone into debt if the father had to stop working, for instance.It would seem unusual for an eleven-year-old girl to write so persistently to Mr. Marsworth and I wondered why she didn't take his suggestion to visit the town library. She was bored but she loved to write. Kids who like to write usually like to read as well, and they tend to write a lot more than letters.The story itself is heartwarming. The Kelly family determination reminded me of some of the characters in old children's books, such as the Beany Malone and Little Colonel series, or the more contemporary Flavia DeLuce, but a little grittier. I enjoyed the book. Is it appropriate for a grade school reader? Other reviewers will have to weigh in on that question. And it wouldn't be a bad idea to see this book as the first in a series; Reenie's a likeable character who seems drawn to adventure.