|
|
|
Tall Tales
by Karen Day
Reviewed by a.fortis (Sarah Stevenson), Reading YA: Readers' Rants
"Quiet" and "problem novel" are NOT usually found in the same sentence—especially when you're reviewing a
middle grade/younger YA book. But it's not an exaggeration to describe Karen Day's debut novel in just that way, strange as
it may sound. I think I was most surprised to find that a traditionally "heavy" theme like the effect an alcoholic,
abusive parent has on a family could be dealt with using such a light, sensitive touch.
Although the characters could have been a little more fleshed out, I was immediately drawn into the story of sixth-grader
Meg by the opening lines:
"I want to make a friend.But as I stand in the entrance of the lunchroom,
panic ringing in my ears, all I think is Here we go again. New town. New
school. Same old feeling."
Meg's family has moved from Michigan; before that they were somewhere else, and somewhere else again. Her father is an
alcoholic, and in every new town they try to start afresh—her father in a new job, her mother keeping things together
at home, and Meg, her little sister Abby, and her older brother Teddy screwing up their courage to do it all over again at
a new school.
This time, though, things are different. Her dad swears he's quit drinking for good, and Meg desperately wants to
believe it. Almost as desperately, she wants to make friends—easily, like Teddy always has, though this time he seems
to have given up on friends. So Meg tells people at school exciting stories about her life: their family used to live in
Australia. Last year she almost died of meningitis. Her little sister has ulcers.
And gradually, she does make friends. When one of her teachers convinces her to use her storytelling talents on the school
newspaper, Meg meets Grace Bennett, the staff artist. They hit it off, and start hanging out both in and out of school,
writing and illustrating a mystery together. Grace seems to have the perfect life—a nice house, a caring dad and
stepmother, and popularity at school. But Meg is too scared to stop lying, even to her new best friend.
Sure enough, things at home aren't as perfect as Meg had hoped. As her father spirals back into alcoholism, her mother and
brother suffer the brunt of his physical anger, but nobody is immune to the emotional damage. The worse the situation gets
at home, the more Meg feels compelled to tell her tall tales at school, until even she can't quite keep them straight.
Ultimately, something has to give, and Grace's friendship is the key. Meg learns that telling her secret is worth the
risk—that a true best friend is willing to forgive, and even to help.
In this novel, redemption is found in friendship and trust, though it takes time for Meg and her family to find the courage
to take those risks—and reap the rewards. The very short chapter format can seem choppy at times, but the journey is
worthwhile in this promising first novel.
The Neddiad
by Daniel Pinkwater
Reviewed by Becky Laney, Becky's Book Reviews
This is the story of how Neddie, three good friends, a shaman, a ghost, and a little maneuver known as the French
substitution determine the fate of the world.
In Daniel Pinkwater's latest novel, The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went To Hollywood, And Saved Civilization,
we meet a young hero seeking a life of adventure. He didn't start out a hero. And he wasn't born into a great adventure,
but by the time we're through—his mission will be accomplished.
Meet Neddie. He was just your 'average' boy born in obscurity in Chicago. But all that changes when his father announces
the family is moving to Los Angeles.
"You might think that a kid suddenly taken away from the only home
he had ever lived in, his friends, his neighborhood, his school, would
be a little sad, or worried, or have some kind of regret. I didn't. I
didn't at all. And this was not because I wasn't happy where I was. I
was very happy. I would use these words to describe my early childhood
at 551 East Roscoe Street in the city of Chicago: interesting, fun,
exciting, comfortable, and perfect. The reason I wasn't bothered at all
about leaving our apartment, the backyards, the block, the neighborhood,
and all the kids I knew was that I was a big fan of D'artagnan...This is
why going away on a big adventure all the way across the country seemed
normal to me." (11, 16)
Within a matter of days, Neddie has become the kind of boy who can brag that since leaving Chicago he has, "ridden on a
deluxe streamlined train, talked with an old gunfighter and a lot of other people, seen all kinds of landscape I'd never
seen before, been given a stone turtle by an Indian shaman, seen cowboys, and been left behind in Flagstaff, where I had
my own hotel room, made a friend, and met a ghost and a movie star." (62) And that's only the beginning of the adventures
he'll have...
Full of humor and adventure, The Neddiad is an enjoyable read.
The Maggie Valley Trilogy
by Kerry Madden
Reviewed by Allie, Bildungsroman
In Gentle's Holler, Kerry Madden introduced young readers to Olivia (better known as Livy Two) Weems, a
twelve-year-old with a passion for books and music. Livy has eight siblings of various ages and
temperments, a sweet mama, and a starry-eyed daddy. Money's tight—Daddy's music fills the heart and ears
more than it fills the pocketbook—but the Weems make do, and their household is always bursting with
family, love, and music. Livy Two also sings and plays music, often writing songs about the struggles her
family has faced and the hardships they've overcome. The story is set in 1960s North Carolina, a beautiful backdrop for
this artistic and energetic family.
As the tale progresses, Livy Two watches carefully over Gentle, the next-to-youngest one in the family,
who has always had difficulty with her eyes. Meanwhile, the eldest son, Emmett, looks beyond the
holler and fixes his eyes on Ghost Town in the Sky, a new place on the top of a mountain where he might be
able to get a job. Livy Two's trips to the lending library truck connect her with another kind soul, Miss
Attickson, who encourages Livy's voracious appetite for novels and poetry.
Louisana's Song, the second book in the trilogy, is just as precious as the first. The narrator is once
again the lovable Livy Two, who learns how her quiet sister Louise came to be named after a state. She
encourages Louise to share her paintings with others, all the while working hard on her own songs and
helping out at the bookmobile. As the family feels the effects of the events from the previous book, Livy
Two is surprised by the strength of her siblings—and of herself.
Gentle's Holler is the first in The Maggie Valley Trilogy. Louisana's Song will be hitting the shelves
in May. The author is currently working on revisions for Jesse's Mountain, the final book in the trilogy.
This series will be loved by kids and families who enjoyed the All-of-a-Kind Family books by Sidney
Taylor, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, and Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes by Frank
B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
Books Reviewed:
Tall Tales, by Karen Day. Wendy Lamb Books, 2007. ISBN: 0-3758-3773-6.
The Neddiad, by Daniel Pinkwater. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2007. ISBN: 0-6185-9444-2.
Gentle's Holler, by Kerry Madden. Puffin Reprint, 2007. ISBN: 0-1424-0751-8.
Louisana's Song, by Kerry Madden. Forthcoming, May 2007.
|
| |
|
|