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May 2005 Vol. 6 Issue 5
This
month's book reviews
A
sentimental and inspiring novel
about a Jewish immigrant girl
"A Time for Angels" by Karen Hesse may be a children's book
but it is not light reading. Its heroine, young Hannah Gold,
must deal with more setbacks and trials in a few months of
her life than many adults have to face in a lifetime. As is
pointed out in the kids' review, Hannah is coping not only
with the problems of impoverished immigrants living in tenements,
but with the consequences of a World War and a pandemic disease
that is killing off people all around her.
That Hannah, a brave heroine, is able to overcome the obstacles
she faces is a tribute to the human angels who help her, as
well as to the one in spirit form which appears at critical
points in her trouble-filled life. The rich detail and sensitively-drawn
characters in this book will make it a memorable read for
young readers.
Combining
history, adventure, and an environmental preservation message
"Riding the Flume" is billed as historical fiction. Insofar
as it is set in northern California in 1894, it is historical.
In its focus on saving the giant sequoias of northern California,
it is also presenting an appeal to preserve elements of the
environment that are irreplaceable. In telling the story of
fifteen year old Francie Cavanaugh, it takes the reader through
a combination of mystery story and suspense-filled adventure.
It also deals with the not uncommon tension that can exist when
a parent and a child see the same happenings through different
prisms. All in all, it seems to meet very well the publisher's
stated intention of meeting the reading interests of a 10 to
14 year-old audience of young readers.
A sanitized version of a famous bandit's
escapades
Joaquin Murieta was a Mexican bandit who terrorized gold
seekers in the California for the early 1850's. "Bandit's
Moon" by award-winning children's author Sid Fleishman is
a fictional version of part of the bandit's activities. The
story is told in the first person by Annyrose Smith, a young
orphan girl who masquerades as a boy, is captured by Murieta,
and, while in captivity, teaches the outlaw to read. The story
is humorously told as it presents Murieta as basically a good
guy who was forced into banditry by the circumstances of the
times. The publisher reports the book is for 9 to 12 year-olds
and is written at a 5.8 readability level.
"Extreme
Sports" that you may not want your kid to imitate
Gary Paulson is a prolific writer of kids books, many of
which have been award-winning publications. "How Angel Peterson
Got His Name" purports to be an autobiographical account of
five different events that Paulson remembers from his childhood
in the post-World War II era of northern Minnesota. Each story
is told in a humorous and clearly exaggerated vein. If there
is any downside to such a publication, it only would be in
that it might encourage some young male readers in conducting
their own stupid and dangerous stunts.
The publisher reports an interest level of 10 and up and
a readability level of 6.2.
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