The War with Grandpa

by Robert Kimmel Smith

Overview

Don't miss the laugh-out-loud classic about a boy who leaps into battle when he's forced to share a room with his grandfather—now a major motion picture starring Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Christopher Walken, Jane Seymour, Rob Riggle, Cheech Marin, and Oakes Fegley!

Peter is thrilled that Grandpa is coming to live with his family. That is, until Grandpa moves right into Peter’s room, forcing him upstairs.
 
Peter loves his grandpa but wants his room back. He has no choice but to declare war! With the help of his friends, Peter devises outrageous plans to make Grandpa surrender the room. But Grandpa is tougher than he looks. Rather than give in, Grandpa plans to get even.
 
They used to be such great pals. Has their war gone too far?
 
WINNER OF TEN STATE READING AWARDS
AN IRA-CBC CHILDREN'S CHOICE

"Peter tells this story with honesty and humor....By the story's end, Peter has learned much about the causes and effects of war—and human dignity."-School Library Journal

"The humor of the story derives from Peter's first-person account and from the reader's recognition of Peter's valiant effort to maintain two mutually exclusive emotions."-The Horn Book Magazine

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780440492764
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/01/1984
Series:	The War with Grandpa , #1
Edition description:	Reprinted
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	58,423
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.63(h) x 0.39(d)
Lexile:	640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Robert Kimmel Smith was an award-winning author who wrote several popular books for children, including Chocolate Fever, The War with Grandpa and it's sequel—The War with Grandma—coming soon, Bobby Baseball, Jelly Belly, Mostly Michael, and The Squeaky Wheel.

Richard Lauter illustrated several books for young children, including The War with Grandpa. He lives in New Jersey.

Read an Excerpt

An Excerpt from The War with Grandpa

      This is the true and real story of what happened when Grandpa came to live
      with us and took my room and how I went to war with him and him with me
      and what happened after that.

      I am typing it out on paper without lines on my dad's typewriter because
      Mrs. Klein, she's my 5th grade English teacher, said that we should write
      a story about something important that happened to us and to tell it "true
      and real" and put in words that peoples said if we can remember and to put
      quote marks around them and everything....

      My little sister, Jennifer, just came in and asked me what I'm doing and
      I told her....

      "I think you should begin with me," Jenny said, "because I found out Grandpa
      was coming to live here before you even knew about it."

      "Good idea," I said.

      "And put in the story that I am very beautiful with long blond hair and
      lovely blue eyes."

      "I just did."

      "Now you'll have a good story," she said.

Table of Contents

1.	Peter Stokes's True and Real Story	1
2.	The Beginning	5
3.	A Room Without Gloom	9
4.	The Deadly Dinner	11
5.	Sad and Blue as the Sky	17
6.	I Promise	20
7.	Bits and Pieces	22
8.	Night Fright	26
9.	Grandpa Jack	30
10.	Another Night, Another Fright	35
11.	Only a Dope Will Mope	36
12.	A Little Help from My Friends	39
13.	A Light in the Attic	43
14.	War Is Declared!!!	45
15.	It Takes Two Sides to Fight a War	50
16.	The First Strategy Conference	52
17.	Night Attack	54
18.	The First Peace Conference	57
19.	A Flag of Truce	60
20.	A Slippery Customer	64
21.	Strategy and Supplies	67
22.	Slapshot	70
23.	Time Out for Jenny	75
24.	A Dirty Trick	79
25.	And Dirty Words	84
26.	Rocker and Roll	88
27.	Go Fish	93
28.	Playing Hardball	100
29.	Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop	104
30.	Jenny the Spy	106
31.	The Shoe Drops ... Kerplunk!	111
32.	The Last Strategy Conference	118
33.	The Last Attack	121
34.	War's End	124
35.	Bottoms Up	129
36.	Building the Peace	134
37.	For My Teacher	139

Editorial Reviews

AN IRA-CBC CHILDREN'S CHOICE
 WINNER OF TEN STATE READING AWARDS!

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award (Vermont) South Carolina Children's Book Award
Mark Twain Award (Missouri)
Golden Sower Award (Nebraska)
Young Hoosier Award (Indiana)
William Allen White Award (Kansas)
Pacific Northwest Library Association's Young Reader's Choice Award (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alberta)
Tennessee Children's Choice Award
Georgia Children's Book Award
Alabama Library Association's Young Reader's Choice Award

"Peter tells this story with honesty and humor....By the story's end, Peter has learned much about the causes and effects of war—and human dignity."-School Library Journal

"The humor of the story derives from Peter's first-person account and from the reader's recognition of Peter's valiant effort to maintain two mutually exclusive emotions."-The Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

Gr 3–6—More than two decades after its original publication, one of Robert Kimmel Smith's bestselling children's books (Delacorte, 1984) has been released in audio format. Peter has lived in the same room his whole life and he loves it. He also loves his grandfather. But when his grandfather moves to his house and takes his room, Peter has to relocate upstairs. Peter wants his room back, so he "declares war" and starts playing pranks on his grandfather. Grandpa knows a few pranks of his own and humorous hijinks ensue. In the end, both grandparent and child are able to face their personal losses. Nicholas Kelly does a good job of recreating Pete's authentic 10-year-old voice, perfectly capturing its rhythm and inflection. He also voices the other characters well, moving easily from old to young, and male to female. The emotions of the various characters are clearly portrayed, from grandfather's exasperation to the parents' concern and the sister's taunting. A good way to introduce an older classic to a new generation of children.—Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT

School Library Journal