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October 2001 Vol.2 Issue 10
This
months' book reviews
A
New Orleans sightseeing book that
happens to be about teen-age musicians
There aren't too
many books for kids that feature young musicians as the main
characters. "Jammin' on the Avenue" does just that.
It would be for the kid studying music what a sports book
is for the young athlete. It does focus on the competition
involved for the more talented young musicians as they vie
for recognition and scholarships. But the author does a good
job of bringing in a number of other themes. She establishes
that there should be an element of good sportsmanship in music
competition and that a "win at all costs" attitude
is not acceptable.
The book should
appeal to young readers also because it presents a picture
of teen-agers learning to deal with their own insecurities
and with interrelationships with their peers. And just for
good measure, the author throws in a promotional travelogue
touting the food and the sights of historic New Orleans.
Another
multiple prize-winning children's book
"Because
of Winn-Dixie" is a Newbery Honor book as well as the
recent recipient of more than half-a-dozen other national
awards, including a "School Library Journal" Best
Book of the Year award. The story is written in the words
of India Opal Buloni, a young girl being raised by a distracted
father, a Southern Baptist preacher, who has just moved to
be pastor of a small town church in Florida. Opal's mother
had abandoned her husband and daughter when Opal was an infant.
Winn-Dixie is
the stray dog who becomes the catalyst for helping Opal overcome
her loneliness, finally reach her father and establish a good
father-daughter relationship, and develop a sense of her own
identity. That's a big order for a dog to fulfill. But it
all unfolds in a highly readable manner in Kate DiCamillo's
Candlewick Press published paperback.
Another
prize-winning book, but one based on traditions and customs
foreign to young readers
"Homeless
Bird" by Gloria Whelan is a recent National Book Award
Winner. It tells the story of Koly, a young girl in India
caught up in the custom of arranged marriages. Her particular
marriage is an unfortunate one that leads to the young bride's
abandonment. She is forced to make her own way in a culture
that does not expect young women to be independent and resourceful.
The book does
a nice job of presenting the hardships that the young heroine
faces as a result of a society's customs, yet does it without
being judgmental about the society. A child reader can identify
with Koly and her problems and, at the same time, understand
how Koly can love her nation and its culture and customs.
Can
a modern movie based on special
effects for impact be reduced to print?
Other books reviewed
this month have been awarded prizes as outstanding books for
children. Not so "Spy Kids." This paperback is clearly
an effort to exploit the popularity of a movie of the same
name. However, if kids want to read books based on action
movie plots, what's wrong with that?
"Spy Kids"
has improbable characters and a totally unrealistic plot.
That description applies to many action movies today and to
many of our regular television shows. There's a good chance,
though, that the child who will read such a book because of
its popularity as a movie, may just find that books can be
just as entertaining as a movie or a TV show. Isn't that what
we are trying to do - get our kids to read more and watch
movies and TV less?
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