The Truth About Sparrows, by Marian Hale; Henry Holt and Company: New York, 2oo4; $16.95 The truth about sparrows takes you right back into the Great Depression. From the minute you open the book, all of Sadie Wynn’s burdens will be yours. From the very beginning: having to give up a home, the only home you’ve known all your life. Sadie has to deal with it all. The Wynns have to leave their wonderful farm in Missouri to go to Texas. On the way, they meet a girl, Dollie, and her family Dollie becomes Sadie’s friend throughout the story But to be true to Dollie, Sadie will have to let go of someone from the past: Wilma. Wilma is Sadie’s best friend back in Missouri. As you read the book, you discover what Sadie discovers: that even if you trust your friends so much, they could still dump you. I’ve had some experiences like that, including when a friend and I had too many play dates and always got annoyed at each other. Now we’re friends again. But even though Wilma promises to, she never writes to Sadie. Sadie sends her three letters and doesn’t hear back. Sadie thinks at one point, “Wilma could be anywhere. But mostly, she was gone.” In my favorite part of the story it’s Halloween night and Sadie and some friends tell ghost stories. The book really comes alive, like a personal experience. I’ve spent time making up funny stories with friends and it sure is a lot of fun. Sadie tells a story about Wilma’s brother who heard and even felt a ghost. I enjoyed that scene a lot. I guess you’re wondering why this book has its name. One day, a man comes by a tent the Wynns are living in. He asks if they’ll give him something to eat, and Sadie’s mama obliges. The next day, Sadie is mad and looks for a place to be alone. She startles a sparrow who flies to another perch. Then Sadie is startled by a movement in a cardboard box. She moves closer and sees that it’s the man her mother fed the day before. From then on she calls him Mr. Sparrow. I studied sparrows in first grade. They’re the sweetest, most ordinary birds. Perhaps that sweetness and ordinariness is the truth about sparrows, and the truth about the man whose life is so hard he lives in a box. There is a lot of talk about poverty in the book. Sadie overhears a conversation between a boy and his dad that really stayed with me. The dad describes ” . . . kids sleeping in the cold under Hoover blankets and scouring the dumps for food.” “What’s a Hoover blanket, Papa?” “A newspaper, son. Just a newspaper.” This book taught me a lot of history Hoover was a man who was President during part of the Depression. This is what I saw when I traveled to India. Poverty. India is filled with it. “Too many people and not enough jobs,” is another line from the book. Whenever you stop at a red light in Mumbai, kids will come to your car, trying to sell you something. Elderly men will ask you for money The Depression did that to people, too. This story will make you brood even after the last page is read. It has something to offer to everybody History, friendship, and the real preciousness of life. I recommend this book to everybody who reads this review! Julia Worcester,10 Bronx, New York
Book Reviews
The Waterless Sea: Book Two in the Chanters of Tremaris Trilogy
The Waterless Sea: Book Two in the Chanters of Tremaris Trilogy, by Kate Constable; Arthur A. Levine Books: New York, 2005; $16.95 Before I even begin writing this review, let me tell you, the glorious reader, about my two beliefs concerning fantasy novels. First, there is such a thing as sappy fantasy In fact, there are so many sappy fantasy novels that it could be called a genre unto itself Sappy fantasy can usually be recognized only by a true fantasy connoisseur, such as myself; however, there are a few defining marks: 1) the main characters of sappy fantasy novels are always beautiful or handsome; 2) elements (such as orcs, goblins, elves, the “Gift,” etc.) are stolen from other true fantasy novels and are entwined into the literature. My second belief is that you can always tell how good a fantasy novel will be by reading the first paragraph. If the book starts out by describing (a) the sunrise/the sunset, (b) a woman who is not the main character, or (c) clothing, 99 percent of the time, the book will be a sappy fantasy story The Waterless Sea fits none of these requirements. Unlike books such as Eragon (and now, Eldest) or the Alanna series, which perch precariously upon the brink of the cliff which leads down into the cavern of sappy fantasy, The Waterless Sea sits far removed in a secluded hamlet in the realm of true fantasy—a realm which is steadily shrinking. Kate Constable’s characters are bold and daring, yet not without weakness. One of the book’s main characters, Darrow, is deathly afraid of the responsibilities of leadership, mainly to try and prove to himself that he is not who his former-friend-now-archenemy, Samis, claims he is—a man hungry for power, a cohort in Samis’s quest to conquer the land of Tremaris. Yet the character who intrigues me the most is not Darrow, for all of his quiet strength. I am most interested instead by Calwyn, a young girl who grew up on a sheltered mountainside, yet who always dreamed of adventure. In this way, both Calwyn and I are alike. My home is an idyllic place—quiet, peaceful, and really very boring. I dream of traveling and going beyond just what I can see by taking the bus or walking out my front door. Just like Calwyn is, however, I fear that I will be disappointed by what I fmd there, wherever “there” may be. Calwyn dreams of the world as an exhilarating adventure abounding with opportunity and hope. What she finds is a sullen, twisted, reproduction of the world that existed in her imagination—where she is hated and despised for her ability to sing the ancient magic instead of loved and respected, where women are downtrodden and meek instead of considered men’s equals, where the rulers are corrupt and greedy while the poor starve in the grimy coastal towns. I fear that something like the disappointment that Calwyn went through will also happen to me . . . instead of the lush jungles that I imagined I will find burning stumps of trees; instead of soaring towers and turrets of ancient castles, I’ll find swarming tourists and graffiti. Perhaps I am too naive in my assumption that everything beautiful will stay as it is . . . but at least to protect the dreams of children we should be making more of an effort to make that which is beautiful also permanent. I recommend this book to readers aged nine to twelve. Also be sure to read The Waterless Sea’s prequel, The Singer of All Songs. Katherine Long,13 Bellevue, Washington
47
47, by Walter Mosley; Little, Brown and Company: New York, 2oo5; $16.99 Walter Mosley pulls you into the heart of slavery in 1832. He depicts the brutality of slavery and the true meaning of freedom, through the eyes of Forty-seven, an orphaned fourteen-year-old slave. As a child, Forty-seven was taken under the wing of Big Mama Flore, a house slave, who sheltered him from the realities of slavery. The day arrives when Forty-seven is old enough to work in the cotton fields. He now faces the painful realities of slavery Tall John, a mysterious runaway slave, enters Forty-seven’s life. He helps Forty-seven see beyond the fate of slavery and teaches him to believe in freedom. I have never experienced the brutality of slavery, but as I was reading Mosley’s descriptions, I could feel Forty-seven’s pain; his burned shoulder from a branding iron, his infected hands from picking cotton, and his bleeding flesh from being bullwhipped. This book made me think of the grim stories that my grandparents passed on to me regarding the Armenian Genocide. Although there are obvious differences between slavery and genocide, there are some similarities—both groups of people suffered at the hands of others, and both lost freedom. Throughout this book, I could not stop thinking about freedom. Freedom, to me, is having independence and having the right to make decisions and choices. I find it incomprehensible that freedom was taken from some individuals and some still do not have it today. Forty-seven craves freedom once Tall John introduces him to it. He experiences freedom in two ways. First, Tall John informs Forty-seven that by considering yourself a slave, you are. If you say that you have a master, then you do. Forty-seven finally learns that he “ain’t got no mastuh ’cause (he) ain’t no slave.” A second way that Tall John introduces freedom to Forty-seven is by taking him to “paradise.” In paradise, Forty-seven is elated and shocked that such beauty and tranquility exists. This is where he tastes freedom for the first time. Now that he learned the meaning and the taste of freedom, Forty-seven is willing to risk everything to acquire freedom for himself, and for the ones he loves. Walter Mosley’s writing style captivates me. He takes one character, such as Tall John, and changes his personality. When Forty-seven and Tall John first meet, Forty-seven is overwhelmed with his language skills and forwardness. When white men confront Tall John, he is reserved. His personality changes again when Tall John talks to the men in the slave quarters, this time in a humorous way Mosley gives Tall John a sense of humor to lighten up the cruelty of slavery. Tall John’s changing character is a creative feature of Mosley’s writing style which is very well portrayed in the novel. As much as this book absorbed me, I did not like how Mosley combined two genres—historical fiction and science fiction. The science fiction portions of the book caught me off guard and took away from the shocking historical truth about slavery. With all of these painfully unsympathetic scenes in the book, the supernatural scenes do not fit. 47 is a great read for those who enjoy historical fiction narratives with deep meaning. Mosley’s comprehensive characters pulled me into Forty-seven’s world and let me think about emotions that I never thought about before. Tall John helped Forty-seven, as well as me, uncover the true meaning of freedom. Lara Gechijian, 13 Lincoln, Massachusetts
The King of Slippery Falls
The King of Slippery Falls, by Sid Hite; Scholastic Press: New York, zoo4; $16.95 Imagine it’s your birthday. Your parents gave you a surprising gift that revealed your origin. How would you react? Lewis Hinton, an ordinary boy in The King of Slippery Falls, is shocked on his fifteenth birthday, when he discovers that he’s adopted. For one year, he tries to learn about his real family. On his sixteenth birthday, his adopted mother, Martha, surprises Lewis with a letter from his real mother, J. A. Poisson. The letter reveals Lewis’s real name: Louis Poisson, and his real mother gave him away to Avery, his adopted father, to find her husband and freedom. Lewis is angry with his real mother because she basically abandoned him for her own freedom! Lewis also feels angry with Martha for hiding this for s-i-x-t-e-e-n years! Now that’s quite a long time to keep a secret. If I were Lewis, I probably would have thrown a fit and started screaming in anger, and inside, I would have felt pretty sad, too. Lewis’s friend, Sophie, and an eighty-eight-year-old woman named Maple tell him that he’s of French origin by his last name, Poisson, like my last name, Chakraborti, reveals that I’m of Indian origin. Maple is what’s called “one of a kind.” She told Lewis that he’s possibly descended from King Louis XV She explains life’s gradual, out-of-the-blue, and inspirational changes to Lewis. A person’s life is like a story because both experience these three changes. I found this explanation most interesting. When I saw the misery of the evacuees from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on TV, I thought it like a major turning point in their lives. The devastation symbolized out-of-the-blue changes for these evacuees. Anyhow, Lewis’s origin gets importance in his one-horse town, Slippery Falls, and the town gets vibrant. Lewis becomes the center of attention in the town. Embarrassed, he tries to stop it. I recall a rumor in my school that I liked a girl, named Laura. I felt that everyone in the school enjoyed their time by conversations involving our relationship. Thank goodness it ended. There’s another important event in this story Lewis spots a trout in the town’s waterfall and he’s determined to catch that fish. One day Lewis goes to the waterfall on his quest. He almost has the fish, but then slips and hits his head against a rock and gets unconscious, and bleeds heavily He’s taken to the hospital. Fortunately, Maple’s blood saves his life. But he fails to achieve his goal. I felt pretty sad about that. Sometimes I try very hard to achieve goals. No matter how much perseverance I have, when I can’t achieve them, I feel down. While he recovers, Lewis decides to go to France to learn about the ways of the French, his people. He and his girlfriend, Amanda, organize a car wash to raise money for the trip. My parents are from India, and last summer, I went there to visit my relatives. Before I went, I learned a little of my native tongue, Bengali, from my parents, like Lewis learned some French before he went to France, from Sophie. Learning Bengali helped me enjoy the Bengali culture while I was there, and now I really like it. Lewis will probably enjoy the French culture. Bon voyage, Louis! Neil Chakraborti, 12 Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Ingrid and the Wolf
Ingrid and the Wolf, by Andre Alods; Tundra Books: Toronto, zoos; $8.95 When I first looked at the book cover, I imagined how uneventful it would be. But I guess the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” is true. As soon as I read the first page, I felt like there was some invisible glue that held it to my hands. I just couldn’t put it down. There were two things that drew me to this book. One was the courage that an eleven-year-old girl named Ingrid showed. The second one was the never-broken promise that was made to Gabor (a special wolf) even after Countess Liliane (Ingrid’s grandmother) forbade her to ever go down to the labyrinth (the place where Gabor lived) again. I am very impressed. Who knew a girl just eleven years old could have such a strong soul? Sometimes I think of her as a saint. I would really want to be friends with her if she was a real person. In the real world, I think keeping promises all the time is very hard, but I also believe that it is important. I can really understand the pressure that was put on Ingrid when she found out that she might have to break her promise with Gabor. Ingrid is like a role model for me. I will try to keep my promises to people under all circumstances. As much as I love this book and wish for it to go on and on, never ending, I have my fears as well. I feel sorry for Gabor, who will die now that he is out of the labyrinth, a place where he was born to never age a single day I hope with all my heart that if this book continues, some magic would work on Gabor and he would never become old and die, living as long as Ingrid lived, being her companion forever. When I first read about Gabor, my thoughts wandered to the time when I saw a video about a dog named Lassie. It risked its own life seeking revenge on the person that had killed its owner. Now that I think of it, Lassie and Gabor aren’t all that different. Both have a lot of faith and are always putting others ahead of themselves. I dream about having trusted companions like them every day I imagine that it will be a collie dog, like Lassie. But the only pet that my mom allows so far is my guinea pig, Rusty. This book not only includes tons of adventures but also many unsolved mysteries and… well, just plain mysterious things! For example, there is a pale green book that can turn to salt and a mysterious servant named Laszlo who can only talk when you hit him every two hours. Though, if not for these tragedies (and mysteries), the book would be only half as exciting and adventurous. I mean, who would want to listen to a story that was of a girl that lived in a normal family, who went to visit her grandma, a countess, whom she had never seen before. At her grandma’s house, she met a nice wolf. There, they became good friends and had a happy life together ever since. Do you think that the book would have been this boring? No! Ingrid and the Wolf is actually a story that just about spellbinds you, as Andre Alexis has changed the dull bones of this book into the most vivid scene anyone could create in one’s mind. Boyu Huang, 9 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
The Rhyming Season
The Rhyming Season, by Edward Averett; Clarion Books: New York, zoo5; $16 When Brenda Jacobsen’s brother Benny died, basketball was never the same again. It wasn’t just basketball that changed. Her mom and dad didn’t get along well and then the lumber mill shut down. The whole town just seemed upside-down, especially when Brenda’s high school basketball coach left for a better job at a college. I can relate to Brenda on how sad, upset, and even a little mad she felt. I used to be in gymnastics and one day my coach just didn’t come to practice. Of course there were other coaches there, but I felt like he had just deserted me. He hadn’t told anyone about his leaving. It was strange, like he all of a sudden didn’t care about gymnastics. I haven’t heard from him since he left. Brenda’s coach didn’t leave without telling all the girls goodbye, but Brenda was still pretty upset. The dreams of all the girls on the basketball team, of making it to state and winning first place, seemed to be dashed after Mrs. Cochran, their previous coach, left. Especially when they get their English teacher as a coach. With her coach calling her Emily Dickinson, Brenda begins to learn a new way of playing basketball. This book showed me how new ways and ideas that you don’t agree with aren’t always bad. Even though you may think they are at first, try them out and you may be surprised at the results. I take piano lessons and sometimes I don’t want to try new things, I’d rather just stick with how I was previously doing it. I think that was probably how Brenda felt. The new way of playing basketball that Brenda learned is saying poetry at the foul line. “Poetry at the foul line?!” I agreed with Brenda and her teammates, thinking that was ridiculous. But, as I read on, I began to understand, just as Brenda began to understand. The poetry seemed to make all the team’s winning dreams come true and shots flow through their bodies. It almost seemed like magic poetry; it worked wonders. Before reading this book, poetry never meant something to me, it was just verses about a particular subject. This book definitely gave me a new perspective. It seemed to say that poetry could guide you places. It showed me what poetry really is: someone’s feelings written down to help other people understand the thing that he or she is writing about. Brenda, now called Emily Dickinson by her coach, is taught the same thing I was. She also learns how her life is like Ms. Dickinson’s and how she can learn to change it. One point in the book that I thought should have been better was the ending. It seemed like author, Edward Averett, should have gone on with the story, like he cut it off at a sudden point. Besides that, this book is very well written and even if, like me, you don’t really enjoy basketball, you will still enjoy this book. Alexis Colleen Hosticka,12 West Chicago, Illinois
Powder Monkey
Powder Monkey, by Paul Dowswell; Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books: New York, 2005; $16.95 Imagine the fear of being blown to pieces at any minute! Thirteen-year-old Samuel Witchall constantly faced this horror in the action-packed historical adventure, Powder Monkey. Being blown up was just one danger Sam had to endure aboard a Navy fighting ship in 1800. While reading this book, I kept wondering why any boy who wasn’t crazy would want to be a sailor in this time period. But it was the book’s vivid descriptions that helped me understand the thrill of a reckless adventure and how it could tempt men and boys out of their comfortable homes to the sea. The book opens with Sam wishing to be a sailor so he can discover the world beyond his tiny town. He ends up on a merchant ship which is quickly taken over by a British Royal Navy frigate called the HMS Miranda. This sleek, 32-gun boat is so precisely described I felt I was bobbing in the sea looking up at its dazzling beauty. Sam is forced to work on the vessel as a powder monkey, running back and forth to the Miranda’s gun deck delivering powder to the cannon crews. Sam is told he needs to be like a monkey because monkeys are nimble creatures. He’s also told if one stray spark floats onto his gunpowder delivery he will be blown to a pink mist! I’ve never heard of a more stressful job for a kid than powder monkey. Sam had to confront so much brutal stuff, including: fierce fighting, raging storms, punishment, mutiny, and death. Yet, the day-to-day annoyances of Sam’s life hit me the hardest. I’m not a morning person, and on a Navy ship in 1800 I would have been extremely miserable. If a sailor isn’t awake and out of his hammock in double speed, the hammock is cut down or the sailor’s head is assaulted by a knotted rope! I wouldn’t get used to this. Sam never did. Sam says he “dreamed of a fresh, warm bed, and the freedom to stay in it until the weariness left his bones.” Up until reading this book, I thought it was really hard to get out of bed for school. Now I realize things could be much worse. I can’t imagine giving up my safe, warm home for Sam’s life! This doesn’t mean, however, I wasn’t captivated by every word describing Sam’s adventures. By far, my favorite part of this book was when Sam’s courage is tested after a Spanish ship captures the Miranda in a miserable battle. Sam’s crewmates plan to take their ship over again, with Sam playing a key role. He sneaks through dark passages, swims through freezing, rat-filled water and outsmarts his captors on his way to the weapons room where he steals cutlasses, axes, and swords. Sam’s adventure made my heart race as I tried to imagine how stealthy and brave I could be in this situation. Until Powder Monkey, the author, Paul Dowswell, had never written a fiction book. He wrote mostly history and science books. For a rookie fiction writer, Mr. Dowswell sure tells an absorbing tale. Knowing the author’s background, I’m not surprised this book is brimming with actual history and technical maritime details. This is a really great book that I’d recommend to many people, including: historical fiction readers, Blackbeard and other pirate fans, maritime history buffs and lovers of the movie Master and Commander! In my case, I’m always looking for an unforgettable adventure. I found a WILD one in Powder Monkey! Jackson Jaro, 9 Santa Rosa, California
Voices of War
Voices of War edited by Tom Wiener; National Geographic: Washington D.C., 2oo4; $3o Don’t get scared away by the title or how many pages in this book. It is really the Voices of Heroes. Veterans who served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf talk about what happened to them in the wars. It’s like sitting down with someone’s grandfather or uncle or brother and hearing them tell stories that you will never learn about anywhere else. On page 127, Ben Snyder remembers on December 7, 1944 that it had been three years since he heard the horrible news of the Pearl Harbor attack by Japan. He was in the South Pacific still fighting the Japanese and he didn’t know when he would ever go home. When I read that, I remembered the attacks on September 11, 2001, and we are still trying to stop the terrorists. An army nurse, Isabelle Cedar Cook, wrote, “I keep thinking about the children that will soon only know World War II as a chapter in the history books. I wanted very much to share my experiences with them, so I decided to write a book. I called it In Times of War because in times of war things are very different.” One man told about how his brother had been killed. His mother thought the army would fly him home immediately. “Unfortunately, she believed the nonsense the government put in the newspapers during the war for civilian consumption, such as flying soldiers home when tragedy struck a family,” wrote the soldier, William Whiting. He was in the Army’s 802nd Field Artillery Battalion. When he saw dead German soldiers he wrote that “even though they were .the enemy, once they were dead you could no longer hate them. You could not help but remember they were or had been someone’s son, husband, father, brother.” That’s what this book is about. How the war is for regular people like nurses, soldiers and sailors. That’s why you should read this book. So you can see how Americans coped with war. I feel like a walking version of Voices of War I am involved in the Stories of Service Veterans History Project. I am a youth producer. I videotape interviews of veterans for the Library of Congress. Then the veterans’ interviews will be preserved for future generations. These interviews will give information for speech writers, college students and book writers. Each veteran that I interview becomes part of me. I am hearing firsthand accounts of what happened to these men and women. Every one of them has a great story and lesson to pass on. One thing I hear the veterans say is that they want peace. These people know what war is and they want peace in the world. At DePortola Middle School, where I am a seventh-grader, war is not something students think about, but this book would be a very good book to have. It can be used to write history essays and learn about how soldiers and sailors lived and felt then and how they think about the wars now, which is thirty or forty or sixty years later. In history we learn about the generals and presidents and the famous battles. This book tells the real story of the people who fought the wars that became history. Celia Arguilez Smith,12 San Diego, California
My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier
My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier by Lynda Durrant; Clarion Books: New York, 2006; $16 To be free can have multiple meanings, but to Jennie Margaret Hodgers, in My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier, it symbolizes having no skirts. For her, losing her skirt would mean losing all the limits that come with having the identity of a woman. The first time Jennie Hodgers puts on men’s clothing is because, like many Irish families of the time (late 1850s), her family didn’t have a lot of money. So she takes the role as a shepherd boy, until, after her father’s death, she and her brother Tom move to America. It is here that you witness betrayal from Tom. When he sees how much more successful she is in America, he reveals her secret to their employer. This scene was very touching to me. My brother and I are very close. Just picturing him doing something such as that made me feel heartbroken. Although the author, Lynda Durrant, doesn’t come out and say it, Jennie, or as she soon changes her name, Albert Cashier, is feeling a similar emotion. Afterwards, “Albert” knows she can’t stay in New York anymore. She gets on a train that takes her to Chicago. It is there that she does the unthinkable: Albert Cashier enlists in the Union Army The army is the test of whether the skinny Irish shepherd boy Albert Cashier or the tomboy Jennie Hodgers will survive. In the end Albert Cashier wins, but not without disadvantages. The years in the army have changed her mental state, which insists that, at times, she really is a man, as well as her physical state. All of the laborious training has changed her gentle lady’s body into hard, unnatural muscle. I couldn’t help but admire how she keeps going in spite of these drawbacks. The way the author creates Jennie is remarkable because Durrant has to give insight into Jennie’s secret. She has to describe conflicts that prevent Jennie from revealing her identity and the personal pain that comes with the burden of keeping this secret. As I read, I was in constant argument, as Jennie meets a man, Frank Moore, and will not let herself fall in love. I wanted to yell and say, “Just do it! You’ve lived a hard life. Do something that will make you happy!” It is in these ways that the author sucks you in. Every author has their own way of drawing the reader in like that. For some, it is with conversation, or with others it could be descriptive details. In Durrant’s case, it is with emotions. If something sad or depressing happened to Jennie, I could feel my eyes start to water. If something uncertain or scary was taking place then my hands would tense up around the book. My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier is for anyone, boy or girl, mom or dad. There is so much in it, including history, romance and adventure. However, because this book isn’t meant to focus on the battles, the action scenes aren’t the greatest ever. There is an easy-to-follow plot line, with surprises on every page. You’ll find that you walk away with a lot of respect for Jennie (who was a real person) and the other petticoat soldiers who served their country, even though it didn’t recognize their contributions. Hannah Sellers, 12 Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Underground Man
Underground Man, by Milton Meltzer; Harcourt Children’s Books: New York, 2006; $17 Milton Meltzer’s Underground Man is a fictional but historically accurate account of life during the Civil War. Josh, a teenager, leaves his farm home to start a life of his own away from his parents. During his travels, he meets a runaway slave. Josh hears of the horrible conditions and the brutal treatment of slaves by their owners. After learning about this, Josh is inspired to become an abolitionist working to rescue blacks from slavery It is surprising that the hero in this book, Josh, is Caucasian. I learned many things about the brutal treatment of slaves and how horrible life was for them. I also learned many things about how abolitionists were detested and unpopular by the people of the southern states. Some specific things that Josh does to free slaves is buying them at auctions and then letting them free. He even puts himself in danger by helping slaves run away from their plantations and owners in the night. I had many reactions during the story One reaction was that I appreciated Josh’s will and determination to try and help prove that all humans should be treated equally. Josh experiences many things that I could relate to and you will probably too. Josh is confused about what he wants to do with his life. He begins to have disputes with his father over decisions that he makes for Josh. For example, Josh’s father secretly signs Josh up for a hat-making apprenticeship when he does not want to do this. One similar experience that I encountered just like Josh is when I have had my parents make me do things against my will. For example, when I wanted to quit an instrument but they made me keep on playing it. One interesting thing that I never knew was that abolitionists used signs. Josh uses many secret signs and simple objects to signal the people he will help. For example, he uses a blue handkerchief and a bent spoon to signify that help is on the way I can relate to this because even today in the army ordinary-looking things can signify operations and actions. Josh encounters important choices and decisions in this story I thought it was exciting to experience the many life-endangering adventures and quests that Josh encounters until he is captured by guards when he is helping a runaway slave to safety Thrown into jail with a long sentence hovering over his head a difficult choice must be made by him to continue his beliefs or quit them. As he thinks over his rights and wrongs surprisingly he has his jail sentence shortened. With the choice of a lifetime Josh must decide to accept his fate as an abolitionist or to stop believing in what is right. I was astonished to find out that this story is based on the true life of Calvin Fairbanks. He spent twelve years in jail for what he believed was right. I appreciate and am in awe of the determination and righteousness of this amazing man. Mason Grande, 10 Glastonbury, Connecticut
Numbering All the Bones
Numbering All the Bones, by Ann Rinaldi; Hyperion Books for Children: New York, 2002; $15.99 Only once in a very long time is a book published that is truly a work of art. It takes a great deal of work and time to have created such an extra special piece of writing. Only once in a while is a truly artistic and skillful book published, that readers of all ages can enjoy, now and for years to come. I’m proud to say that one such book exists. It is called Numbering All the Bones, by Ann Rinaldi. This book has a few imaginary characters but is actually based on a true story It tells history through the eyes of a thirteen- year-old slave girl, named Eulinda, who struggles to reunite her family—or what is left of them. In the 1800s, slavery was a common thing. It was 1864—the year of the Civil War. The north against the south; blacks against whites. It was the year of Abraham Lincoln, and his Emancipation Proclamation. I really liked this book because it was so convincingly written. It is based on things that happened in the past, but the way it was written and pieced together makes it seem unbelievably realistic. This book wasn’t just entertaining, though. I learned things that I’ve never really thought about before. Did you know that a woman named Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1912? Well, neither did I until reading this book. My favorite character in the story was Clara Barton. Clara, a character in the story but also a real person, was a civil rights activist. I was amazed at how much she had accomplished, considering the fact that a woman back then had so few rights. She was even thought to be the most powerful woman in the world. In 1864, Confederate soldiers created a prison in Georgia in which they held prisoners of war—their own fellow Americans. It was a horrible prison; Ann Rinaldi really emphasizes that. Thousands of prisoners were dying every day, and more kept coming to the prison to take their places. The dead were neglected—carelessly dumped into trenches, many corpses sharing one trench. After the fall of the Confederacy, the prison was just shut down, for the war was over. Clara Barton, Eulinda, and a former and much luckier prisoner, got together and planned to properly re-bury the dead, one of whom was Eulinda’s last living family member. The most interesting part of the story was when Eulinda’s past was uncovered. It told of how her mom had died, how her brother was sold away after being framed for stealing a ring, and the devastating truth that her one last surviving family member, Neddy, was being held captive in that dreadful prison. I consider myself lucky to have had the opportunity of reading this book. It gave me a hauntingly realistic glimpse of what the past was really like, in a way that years of history books and classes could never have accomplished. Sajeda Ahmed, 13 Detroit, Michigan
Play to the Angel
Play to the Angel by Maurine F. Dahlberg; Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York, 2000; $16 The most memorable book I have read in a long time is Play to the Angel. Beautifully written characters breathe life into this interesting plot. The city of Vienna is well described, and the individual locations are so convincing I almost expect to see the dark interior of Cafe Adler or the snowy streets when I open my eyes. This book, by Maurine F. Dahlberg, is the story of a girl named Greta and her dream to become a concert pianist. Greta’s big brother, Kurt, is a talented pianist, despite his life-threatening illness. He tutors Greta, and together they play on a wonderful piano. Then, Kurt dies. Greta’s mother is heartbroken and withdraws from her life. To make matters even worse, Greta’s best friend moves away Greta is all alone, except for her dream. Even that is threatened when her grieving mother decides to sell their precious piano. Greta’s last tie to her beloved brother seems about to snap until a strange piano teacher moves in nearby. This mysterious man, named Herr Hummel, won’t reveal the secrets of his past, except that he comes from Germany and left because of the growing Nazi threat. Herr Hummel wins Greta’s trust in a different way Instead of confiding in her, he convinces her mother to keep the piano and finds a concert for Greta to play in. At the edge of success, Greta’s dream is once more postponed as Hitler invades Vienna and she discovers the truth of Herr Hummel’s dangerous past. The black and white of the history is richly supplemented by the colorful characters and places. The picture of how Kurt’s death broke apart Greta’s family is both believable and touching. Admirable characters add a warm element of love. Greta’s perseverance, Herr Hummel’s generosity, and the friendliness of Greta’s schoolmates build the sense of community. As the story progresses, the flaws of the characters are revealed, but that makes them more interesting and attractive, not less. One part of the story I can connect to is the pain of losing your best friend. Even though I was only five when I moved away from my friend Jane, I still miss her all the time. The relationship between Greta and her dead brother is also very realistic. Fortunately, my wonderful younger brother Aaron is still alive, but the mixture of love, jealousy and admiration Greta experiences is very reminiscent of real siblings. To read the story of siblings so much like Aaron and me separated forever by death was a very moving part of this book. Greta and I are the same age, and we are both growing up. Even with the trauma of her life, Greta is like me in so many ways. We both want to make friends, fit in, make our mothers proud, do well in school. If Greta were to live next door to me, I think we would be friends. The one thing I disliked about this book was the climax. I thought the plot was good, but the whole climax took place in the last twenty pages of the book. The beautiful detail evaporated, and little pieces of the action got lost in the fast pace. Despite this shortcoming, I would recommend Play to the Angel. A spotlight on an important historical event, it also brings to life a cast of realistic characters struggling toward bettering themselves. Anya Josephs,12 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
