This book is a bodacious adventure.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stumps.
Walter Tipple lives near the Chattahoochee River in Harmony, Georgia. A new girl called Posey and her mum, Evalina, move into an old house nearby.
"After he got over his shock, he took a good hard look at Posey and felt his spirits lift a little. Right there in the middle of Posey's left cheek was a large, heart-shaped birthmark. Deep dark brown against her pale, freckled skin. The instant Walter saw that birthmark, he began to think that maybe he and Posey were destined to be kindred spirits, bound together by the misfortune of being an easy target. Walter had a lifetime of experience of being an easy target. He was a quite, timid, pigeon-toed boy with a lazy eye that never seemed to want to look where the other eye was looking."
Things are also extra tough for Walter because his beloved older brother has been killed in a war. His mother has stopped smiling and her cooking now comes out of a box. His father has driven away for work and won't return for weeks. And Walter is just sad - that deep deep sadness from the heavy heart he is carrying.
Posey, on the other hand, is a force of nature, a girl with "true grit and fortitude". Walter and Posey are sure to have an amazing summer when they find a man who appears to be dead. This man is Jubilation T. Fairweather otherwise known as Banjo. He has built himself a hot-air balloon because the town is running a competition. It's a key grab. Hot-air balloons race to a very tall pole. On top of the pole are the keys to a a new pick-up truck. Banjo needs to win that truck but now his balloon has crashed.
I love to share character descriptions here on my blog. Teachers might find these useful as writing exemplars:
The man had "a very bushy moustache that turned up at the ends like a smile. His face was covered with scratches. Over one eye was an angry red lump the size of an egg. His hair was kind of wild looking, full of leaves and hanging down clear to his shoulders. His plaid shirt and denim overalls were ripped and streaked with mud."
Another strength of this book comes with the way Barbara O'Connor uses words to give her characters- Walter, Posey, Banjo and even the three legged dog called Porkchop - strong voices. You can almost hear them speaking:
"Oh, good grief and grits,' Banjo mumbled"
"Color me highly skeptical of those calculations." - Banjo
"You have lifted me from the depths of despair right up to the very pinnacle of everlasting joy ... you have showered me with blessings the likes of which I most definitely do not deserve." - Banjo
"You're out of your ever-loving mind if you think Walter and me are gonna traipse through those woods for half an hour to find your balloon,' she said. ... 'Have fun at your pity party." This is Posey speaking.
And as an Australian reading this American book I love the names of the plants: "they had to trudge through prickly holly bushes and weave around chokeberry trees and scraggly dogwoods ... They rounded a bend and there stuck in a cluster of pickerelweed and cattails, was Banjo's hot-air balloon." If you find this book and read it to a group of students you may need to research the Cottonmouth snake - boy oh boy that sure does sound like a scary creature.
I also loved the way Barbara O'Connor lets Walter cry - boys should be allowed to cry any time they need to. I do hope young boys who read this book or who hear this book, take that message to heart. It is a beautiful moment when Walter sits in Tank's truck. His mother has cleared Tank's room. Walter sits in Tanks precious truck that he has been caring for every day. He does not open the letter, the last letter, that Tank sent him. He thinks about his beloved Tank and the way he was so strong. Walter "pretended he was big and strong like Tank and not small and puny like he really was. He pretended the kids at school wanted to be his friend instead of making fun of him, like they really did. ... Then he stopped pretending and had himself a good cry."
I discovered this book when Colby Sharp talked about having read it to his fifth grade class. I was supposed to be travelling by train and bus to visit a friend in South Western NSW so I purchased an ebook of Halfway to Harmony then Covid happened, I didn't travel and this book has been waiting for me. Over the last weekend, some friends and I were able to take a mini break not too far from home - there are still travel restrictions. Books are heavy to pack so I picked up my ipad and dipped into Halfway to Harmony. It is, as Colby says, "such a good book". I read it very quickly and I enjoyed every minute with Walter and Posey and their eccentric new friend Banjo.
Heartfelt and accessible. Kirkus
Take a look at other books by Barbara O'Connor - I highly recommend all of them.
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