26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE #1: 26 Fairmount Avenue. IN PRINT "The 'Big Hurricane of 1938' roars into town... the first day of school takes an unexpected turn for Tomie... so does Mr. Walt Disney's Snow White, the movie everyone had been waiting to see. All of these events (and more) happened to young Tomie dePaola during the year his family went through the ups-and-downs of building their house at 26 Fairmount Avenue. Adventures with the neighborhood kids and his wonderfully funny extended family will have young readers ready for a first chapter book racing from one episode to the next. Many will recognize favorite characters from his picture books - Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs, Tom, and Tomie himself. Funny, dramatic, and memorable moments combined with lively illustrations will make everyone wish they had grown up in the dePaola family." (Ages 7-10) 1999 (Newbery Honor Book) More Information
26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE #2: Here We All Are. IN PRINT "Tomie thinks that nothing could be more exciting than moving into 26 Fairmount Avenue until his mother tells him they are going to need the just-in-case room for the new baby. Tomie can't wait for his baby sister to arrive, wearing a red ribbon in her hair. But will the new baby be a boy or a girl? As the months go by, there is plenty of fun and drama to keep Tomie busy, such as losing the part of Peter Rabbit in the school play by talking too much and starting tap dancing lessons at Miss Leah's. Once again Tomie dePaola take us back to his childhood and shares with readers the funny and personal moments that make us all wish we had grown up at 26 Fairmount Avenue." (Ages 7-10) 2000
26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE #3: On My Way. IN PRINT "Baby Maureen has only been home from the hospital a few weeks when she gets pneumonia, and the dePaola family is scared. Will she pull through? The school year ends with Tomie starring in a dance recital and eager to find out who his first-grade teacher will be. What a disappointment to hear that he'll have to wait all summer before he knows if it will be Miss Kiniry. Summer is great as the neighborhood celebrates the Fourth of July and the family goes to the beach with the cousins. Then it's time to go back to school. Will Tomie get Miss Kiniry? Will he finally learn how to read? Will he get his library card? Following Here We All Are and the Newbery Honor-winning 26 Fairmount Avenue, Tomie dePaola gives us another slice of growing up in a memoir as warm, humorous and charming as ever." (Ages 7-10) 2001
26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE #4: What a Year. "As the new school year starts, Tomie celebrates his sixth birthday in first grade, with cake in the classroom, great presents, and a surprise, too! Soon it's time for Tomie's first Halloween trick-or-treating with his brother. He dresses up as one of his favorite characters from a Walt Disney movie - will any of the neighbors guess who is inside the costume? After Thanksgiving comes the Christmas season, and Tomie is stranded at home with the chicken pox - will he still get to play his part in the pageant? Finally, it's New Year's Eve, and lucky Tomie gets to stay up to see the New Year in! In his inimitable way, Tomie dePaola takes readers once more into his childhood with more fun and funny memories from the Newbery Honor-winning address: 26 Fairmount Avenue." (Ages 7-10) 2002
26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE #5: Things Will NEVER Be the Same. IN PRINT "Tomie is thrilled. He has his own diary with a lock and key. Now he can write down all his secrets and no one can read them. All through the year exciting things happen and Tomie shares them with his diary - racing down the steep snowy hill on his Junior Flexible Flyer; seeing Mr. Walt Disney's new movie, Fantasia; celebrating Easter at Nana Fall-River's; being a pirate with an eyepatch in Miss Leah's Dance Recital; going to the amusement park with this grandfather, Tom; and starting second grade with real art lessons at last! Then it is almost Christmas when one Sunday, the family hears news on the radio that changes everything. Tomie's mom tells him that "Things will never be the same." (Ages 7-10) 2003
26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE #6: I'm Still SCARED: The War Years. eBook "Since the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, second grade has been hard on Tomie. Normal, everyday activities such as Tomie's first music lesson and Miss Leah's dance classes go on as usual. Bu now, his class has to go to the spooky furnace room for an air raid drill. And at home, his family hangs thick black curtains on the windows so that the enemy won't see the house's light. Tomie's mother is there to comfort and explain the confusion, and Tomie feels better. He even goes Christmas shopping with Dad as usual at Upham's Department Store. But the day-to-day effects of the war are always there... With his usual sensitivity and humor, Tomie dePaola recounts a difficult period at the Newbery Honor-winning address of 26 Fairmount Avenue. Young readers feeling anxiety about the world at large will find great comfort in Tomie's warm recollections." (Ages 7-10) 2006
26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE #7: WHY?: The War Years. eBook "While World War II rages across the ocean in Europe, young Tomie finds life changing in many ways. His family still celebrates New Year's Eve, and he still helps Tom and Nana in their grocery store, but he has to wear an extra sweater in class because the school is conserving heat, and blackout curtains cover the windows at home. And even as Tomie struggles with arithmetic and penmanship, the war seems more real when Cousin Blackie visits on his way overseas to fly missions as a bomber gunner. Then tragedy brings the war home to the dePaola family, and all Tomie can do is ask 'Why?' Recalling the most trying times at the Newbery Honor-winning address of 26 Fairmount Avenue, Tomie dePaola infuses his memories with his customary sensitivity and humor. In his warm storytelling voice, Why? offers great comfort to young readers struggling with similar issues about the world today." (Ages 7-10) 2007
26 FAIRMOUNT AVENUE #8: For the Duration: The War Years. IN PRINT/eBook "Tomie keeps hearing the phrase 'for the duration.' Gas is being rationed 'for the duration.' The Fourth of July fireworks will be the last show 'for the duration.' So many things will be different as long as the war goes on, but much of Tomie's life continues as usual. He's excited about starring in a dance recital, taking the bus around town all by himself, and having his First Communion. But Tomie is also still getting over his cousin's death in the war, and he has to say good-bye to his uncle as he ships off to basic training. And then Tomie has a run-in with some bullies and his brother doesn't even help him out. Luckily, Tomie knows there are a lot of people he can count on for the duration. With sensitivity and humor, Tomie dePaola share recollections of life during World War II in this emotional addition to the Newbery Honor-winning 26 Fairmount Avenue series." (Ages 7-10) 2009