Although this probably was not a favorite on my list, it was a nice read. I probably enjoyed this book a little more than most just because I am used to reading historical fiction. It takes place in the Great Depression. Josh, the main character is a hefty teen boy seeking independence from his no-nonsense father. Although Josh says some nasty stuff about his dad I believe that deep down he still loves him. Josh loves to play the piano along-side his banjo playing pal Howie. Howie is a spirited boy and loves making people smile. Josh had received lessons from his mom who is also very musically talented. His dad on the other hand, thinks that music is a waste of time and doesn’t put food on the table. Finally, the expenses of this bottomless-pit-of-a-son Josh, soon become too much, and Josh’s mother tells him he must leave.tSo off they go! Along with his scrawny little brother, Joey and friend, Howie, they scrounge around town after town looking for next morsel of food. Personally, I like would like the whole adventure aspect of the deal, but I am a very independent person and would rather starve than beg for food. They hop on a train one day, and not all three of them hop off. Howie falls off, and is crushed under the train. I didn’t really like that part. Not really because of the whole dying thing, but because it just felt played out, too plastic. A lot of the stories I read have people die, this one just didn’t seem written well.tNow Joey is all Josh has left. He is very sad and longs to have his best friend back. Through various bits of luck, Josh and Joey hitch a ride with a man that changes the whole book. His name is Lonnie. By this point I would be feeling pretty down in the dumps and not really want another person around me. Anyway, they stop at a diner one day for dinner. This diner has a rickety, old piano in a big vacant dining room. When Lonnie asks the waitress, Bessie, if it’s still there, she says it is, and that Josh is welcome to play it. His fingers fly over the keys. Fingering various songs of the era, or just playing whatever he feels. The waitress thinks he’s pretty good. She directs the boys to her cousin, Pete Harris, a circus owner.tThe boys meet some pretty interesting people, at the circus. Josh falls in love with one of them, Emily. Overall, they have a lot of adventures. Now, I would never join the circus. I am more of a Broadway person myself. When the circus catches fire, it’s back to square one. After another romance with my favorite character, Janie, and plenty more adventures, they decide to go home. The big lesson about this book, to me is, you can’t control what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow, you can only control the here and the now, and improve on yourself with each breath you take.
No Promises in the WindLandon LundquistOur language arts class just finished reading the book No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt. It was a pretty good book. It was a historical book. I don’t really like historical books; I tried to come in to read this book with a positive attitude. Well let me tell you I am very glad I did. tIn this book, Josh (15 yrs old) and Joey (10 yrs old) are two brothers that are living in the great depression with their best friend Howie (15 yrs old). Their parents are saying they have too big of an appetite, so she suggests of them to live on their own for a while. They live in Chicago, Illinois. They plan to play music and catch train rides to go to Louisiana. Howie ends up falling off the train and gets ran over. After that Josh and Joey refuse to ride another train so they hitchhike. They meet up with a guy named Lonnie. Lonnie drives them all the way there. On the way, they stop at a restaurant to eat. The waitress tells them to meet her cousin named Pete, in New Orleans, because he ran a carnival and he might be able to hire josh to play piano. When they get there Pete gives josh a job. Joey was also hired to walk around with Howie’s banjo. They do that for a while. Then one night, they woke up and the carnival was on fire. They get to safety and watch it burn down.tAfter getting a ride from a guy who was smuggling moonshine and had their money pronounced counterfeit for a pair of over shoes, they walk for a couple days. They take shelter in a shed and get in a fight. Then Joey wanders off on his own. Josh starts to feel bad and goes after him he is sick and gets lost in a corn field and falls asleep. Lonnie ends up getting Josh, he incredibly survives. When he recovers ,they focus on looking for Joey now. They just happen to be listening to the radio and they mentioned a little blond haired boy with a banjo. Lonnie calls the police and gets Joey back. They both recover and decide to go home. Josh settles things with his dad and lives happily ever after.tThis book was shocking. I was not expecting it to be this book at all. I would definitely recommend this book to everybody, even if you don’t like historical books. Irene Hunt did a great job on this book. It sounds like she knew what she was talking about. I will keep an open mind on these books from now on.
Do You like book No Promises In The Wind (1971)?
I just finished reading the book No promises in the Wind. The author of this book was Irene Hunt. The genre of this book is historical fiction.tThe main characters in this book are Josh, Joey, Lonnie, Janey and Emily. My favorite character is Joey because he is always thinking of other people. He is as nice as he can be, and never just thinks about himself. I thought that it was really nice when he went back and gave half of the bread loaf to the lady that gave it to them for food. I thought that it was rude for Josh to shove Joey just because he was doing something thoughtful and kind. Those are some of the reasons Joey is my favorite character.tOne of my favorite parts in this book is when Joey leaves Josh. It’s my favorite part because it leaves you to wonder where he went and if he will be found. Another one of my favorite parts is when they get on the train to head back home where they belong. It’s my favorite part because everybody back at home misses them and wants them to come back home. When they do decide to go back everybody is very happy including Janey, Lonnie, Kitty and especially Mom and Stefan. Those are my favorite parts in the book No promises in the wind.tI like this book it wasn’t one of my favorite but I did like it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the past.
—Mackenzie Smith
I read the book No Promises in the Wind by . It’s a historical fiction book, so to anyone who’s a fan of that genre, pick this one up. I thought it was a pretty good book.tThe book starts out in a small house, 1932, in Chicago. 15 year old Josh is trying to get used to his new life living in the Great Depression. He has many quarrels with his father which leads to him deciding to leave his home with his friend, Howie, in search of a life on their own. Since then, there are good times, bad times, exiting times, etc. I would tell you many of those, but that would spoil the book.tMy favorite part was when Howie, Josh, and Josh’s little brother Joey are just starting out on their journey. It shows the different types of people and how the ‘tramp kids’ dealt with certain situations. None of the trageties has happened yet, so everything seems happy and easy-going. It also shows how deep a friendship can go, and how keeping the people you love close.tMy favorite character was Joey. He was almost always there for Josh when he needed him, and got most of the food with his cute face. He made money whenever he could playing Howie’s old banjo and setting a hat in front of him. He was also constantly trying to learn new things and try them too.tOverall, this has been a great book, and I recommend anyone to try it.
—Christian Scarlett
No Promises In The Wind is by Irene Hunt. It is an adventure and historical fiction book. Now I’m going to share my thoughts with you.tMy favorite character is Janey. Janey is Lonnie’s niece and Josh’s future lover. I like Janey because she is described in the book as; beautiful, nice, kind, and smart. Janey and josh have strong feelings for each other and it is visible in the text of the book. Janey wants Josh to go back to Chicago but I think deep down inside she doesn’t. When Josh kisses Janey in front of Lonnie that was probably my favorite part with Janey in it.tMy favorite part was when Josh told Janey that he loved her and he always will for as long as he lives. I enjoyed that part because it was so sweet. Josh really loved Janey and I felt bad for him when had to leave her behind. Janey was surprised when he said that. Lonnie didn’t mind that Janey and Josh loved each other I mean seriously they are 15 years old that is the age people claim to be in love.tMy least favorite character was Stefan (Josh’s dad). I did not like him at first because he did not support josh with his music interest. Stefan to me was a mean, selfish dad at first, but at the end he realized that he truly missed and loved Josh. At the end the book described Stefan as skinny, worried looking and happy to see his boys. The book said, “Tears were not in dads eyes either.” tNo Promises In The Wind is not my favorite book ever but it did get better each chapter. If there is a sequel I wouldn’t mind reading it. Irene Hunt it is good author.
—Peyton Miller-dalberg
