One to Grow on

by Jean Little

Book Overview

Janie Chisholm doesn't really mean to tell lies. It's just that sometimes her stories get out of control and it gets her into trouble. No one in her family takes her seriously, and she's not very well liked at school. So Janie is thrilled when her grandmother offers to take her to the cottage in the summer. Just when she thinks she's gotten away from everything, Lisa, a girl Janie knows from home, has been invited to stay over and could ruin everything...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140346678
• ISBN13: 9780140346671
• Release Date: February 1991
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.0" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 3

Customer Reviews

One to Grow On

This was a very well written book. It discussed a lot of very good topics. Janie, was going with her grandmother for the summer to be on the island. She was going to have the summer of the times that she likes. If you want more about a thrilling time, please read Jean Little's One to Grow On!

All about growing up and being comfortable being yourself

I just re-read this book, and I really did enjoy it. The story is about a girl named Janie, who, at the onset of the story is well known in her family and at school for telling fibs. Even Janie isn't quite sure why she does this, nor is she sure why she doesn't seem to lie around her godmother Tillie or her brother David, the only two people who seem to take a real interest in Janie as herself. Janie is in junior high, as is this girl named Lisa, who is the "star" of the class, having famous parents and having been in magazine ads and such herself. Janie can't understand why Lisa suddenly befreinds her, but she is ecstatic. However, Janie notices that Lisa also lies, and is deeply hurt and confused about why she does so. In the middle of this enters Janie's godmother, Tillie. Tillie decides to buy a very small island in order to "get away from it all" and knows that this is the type of place that Janie will love and where she can spend time with Janie. It is Tillie's time and love and support that help Janie learn some things about herself. Over time, this book has become a little bit dated, with references to some things, like women always wearing hats, that just don't happen anymore, but it is a good book with a good lesson that is still very relevant today. :)

This One is Really Funny

The protagonist of this story is a 5th grader named Janie. The classic middle child, Janie is overlooked by her older siblings and her baby brother Timmy is everybody's darling. Naive, immature and a little silly, Janie is often given to flights of fancy. This unfortunately has hurt her credibility.Janie's godmother takes a keen interest in the girl. Sympathizing with "Middle Child Syndrome," the girl's godmother invests in some island property which she gives to Janie. Delighted, Janie rushes home to tell her parents that she now "owns an island." Nobody believes her until her godmother defends her and reminds other relatives of times when THEY "embroidered" the truth. Janie's credibility is restored and all is well until she meets a new peer named Lisa.Lisa is a sneaky, mean and a complete phony. The classic "poor little rich girl," she invites Janie and another girl to her home. She stands the guests up and it is to her godmother's credit that she suggests to Lisa's guardian not to tell her that the girls came while their host was absent.Lisa lies like a rug. She tells other kids that her father is a famous musician and whenever a particular song comes on the radio, she claims it is his composition. When Janie asks her older brother about it, he scoffs and tells her who the REAL artists are. Once again, nasty Lisa is caught in a lie. The conflict is finally resolved when Janie's godmother invites Lisa and Pam (the child who was also stood up) to the island she bought. Janie and Pam form an alliance and for once Lisa is left to fend for herself. She is exposed to the light of day and Janie matures somewhat.