The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck

The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck

As much as I love reading, not many books make it to my list of all-time favorites.  But The Teacher’s Funeral delivered a little something for everybody in the family!  The story, set in a rural Indiana community in the year 1904, follows fifteen year old Russell Culver, his family, his classmates, his community, over the course of a year.

Mr. Peck captured both time period and place perfectly, with humor for both children and adults, and easy to connect to characters.  As I read aloud to my girls, complete with a Hoosier hayseed accent, I couldn’t help picturing my grandfather and my great-grandmother.  I recalled their stories, their memories, the way they spoke, the different words they used, so that each time I picked up the book, it felt like coming home.  Familiar, comfortable, safe.   Although both my papaw and my great-grandmother have been gone several years now, this book, these stories, brought them back for a little while, made me miss them more than I have in years.

My girls, particularly my middle child that struggles with reading and geography, loved hearing the names of local places she’s been to.  And my eldest loved looking each location up on the state map.  But most of all, we enjoyed the family stories that I tried to tie into the conversation when we’d finished reading for the day.  

While I’m sure not all readers will enjoy the setting and time period to the same extent, it’s definitely a worthwhile read, with heart, humor and history to boot!