Booktalking Colorado - Full Booktalk Record

Booktalking Colorado Full Record:

	Title:	Fair Weather
	Author:	Peck, Richard
	Date Published:	2001
	Genre:	Humor
	Grade Level:	5 - 7
	Booktalker:	Susi Bonato

Booktalk:
Did I tell you about my Aunt Euterpe’s really bad day? In fact it was the worst day of her whole entire life. It all started with a letter sent to my mama. It was an invitation to come visit her in Chicago and view the World’s Fair. She even enclosed four tickets, so mama could take me, Lottie-my sister and Buster my little brother by train to Chicago. We were country folk, and therefore never had much of an opportunity to travel. Mama said she couldn’t go and decided to send the three of us on our own and send the 4th ticket back. But who to our surprise should show up on the train, but our Granddad who lives with us. My auntie was widowed in the last year, and her dearly deceased husband was quite a bit older than her, 84 when he died. She lived in a beautiful home and was still in her mourning clothes, so perhaps she thought it be nice to have some of her country kin come visit her. Well, back to the worst day of her life. It started at 5:30 in the morning when Lottie and I woke up and decided we better get ourselves in the kitchen to help out with the breakfast preparations. No one was in there when we came downstairs and goodness, what a mess it was. We couldn’t cook in that pigsty, so we cleaned it up. After that, we got to cooking breakfast and singing songs. That just didn’t sit right with the hired help; Mrs. O’Shay and Bridgett. She was absolutely furious that we had cleaned her kitchen and were cooking. We had invaded her territory. She turned to Euterpe and stated “Let them ignorant country girls cook your meals and fetch and carry for you. You’ve seen the last of us!” And as she reached into her pocket to hand over her house keys, she let out a bloodcurdling scream. Attached to her longest finger was a snapping turtle. It must have been one of Buster’s. After a somber breakfast, on account of all the household help quitting, Eurterpe’s, Granddad thought she needed to get out more. After all, she had been in mourning way too long, and we had come all this way to see the 1893 World’s Fair. It was time to take in some sights and entertainment. That just led to more humiliation for poor Eurterpe by the hands of us; her own family. That afternoon while Granddad and Buster were exploring the Hall of Electricity, we gals headed off to the Women’s Building, which was the beating heart of the fair according to Euterpe. There were ladies sitting at small marble tables around the fountain, dolled up in the most incredible hats and sipping tea. They were grand ladies. Euterpe would of liked nothing more than to be accepted by them, especially by one Mrs. Potter Palmer, one of the grandest and wealthiest ladies in the city of Chicago. When the grand ladies rose to leave after finishing their tea, I felt I had to help out my lonely auntie. I blocked Mrs. Palmer’s path, dropped her a curtsey and proceeded to introduce myself and then Euterpe. And just at the moment, Granddad showed up and boomed “There you’ens are! Helacatoot, Terpie, I’ve lost Buster!” Poor ol’ Eurterpe was just mortified. That’s only half of Euterpe’s worst day. There’s lots more to tell, but you’ll have to read the book to find out about all the other things that happened, like Granddad renewing his acquaintance with Buffalo Bill, the mysterious and beautiful lady dressed in white who captured our attention and the horse named after a famous actress.