Unbroken by Jessie Haas; Greenwillow Books: New York, 1999; $15 In Unbroken, Harriet Gibson becomes an orphan in 1910 when her mother dies in a horse-and-buggy accident. Now thirteen-year-old Harriet must leave her old life in a small Vermont town to live in the country with her Aunt Sarah. Having recently moved, I can understand how Harriet felt as she left her house, school, and friends. Even though I was unhappy when I moved, Harriet must have been even sadder since her mother just died. Like Harriet, once I was settled in my new home, I wasn’t sure how to act. I had to learn how things were done in my new neighborhood and school. “Where do I hand homework in? Do I really need a hall pass just to put my flute in the band room?” I asked myself. Harriet also had to learn how to behave in her new surroundings. When she sits on the chopping block and gets blood on her dress, Harriet is uncertain what to do. “Should I just wash it off or do I have to ask permission?” Harriet wonders. Harriet realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know about living on a farm. Soon after Harriet moves in, she and Aunt Sarah begin to argue. Aunt Sarah insults Harriet’s mother, complains about the way Harriet does chores, and thinks Harriet will never be able to train the young colt so she can ride him. Both of them are insistent on getting their own way. My older brother reminds me of Aunt Sarah because he always believes his way is right. When he compares his grades to mine or laughs at how I play sports, I often yell at him and get into a fight like Harriet and Aunt Sarah did. As the summer goes by, Harriet learns how to help with farm work, cope with her mother’s death, and get along with Aunt Sarah. One evening Harriet tries to get to know Aunt Sarah by asking her questions about her childhood. Harriet also helps with chores without being asked, such as when she offers to help with cutting the hay. My brother and I are working on being kind to each other, too. When I play his favorite video game with him or ask how his day went, we become closer. Most importantly, Harriet starts to accept life on the farm and think of it as home, just as I am beginning to accept my new life after moving. When I first picked up Unbroken, I thought it was just going to be about a girl training her horse. Once I started reading, I realized the story was about a lot more—dealing with changes, getting along with other people, and discovering the importance of family. The author, Jessie Haas, made the characters seem like real people. I really enjoyed Unbroken and would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, horses, or just an excellent story. Julia Schuchard, 12 Lawrenceville, Georgia
Book Reviews
Leaving Emma
Leaving Emma by Nancy Steele Brokaw; Clarion Books: New York, 1999; $15 Having a best friend can make a kid feel like she’s on top of the world. I know, because I have had the same best friend since I was less than two years old. But if something should happen with that best friend, and especially if she were your only friend, it could be terrifying. In Nancy Steele Brokaw’s book, Leaving Emma, terrified is just how Emma feels when her best friend Tem announces that she has to move at the end of the school year. To make matters worse, Emma’s father tells her that he has to go far away for five months and Emma’s mom is so absorbed in her own problems that she can’t even help. Emma feels as though her life is wrecked. Tumbling even further down from her perfect perch, Emma has to deal with dreaded Great-Aunt Grace who played music that “sounded exactly like those old monster movies when the lights in the castle go out, and the thunder crashes all around, and someone is about to be killed.” Emma can’t even tolerate when Aunt Grace comes to dinner! In order to deal with the fear and anger of everyone leaving her, Emma manages to patch together a few talents she barely knew she had. By making some new friends who share her love of art and by confronting other problems, Emma makes it through some difficult times and comes out more than OK. Emma even figures out a way to replace one after-school activity which she had been doing merely to please her father with another activity which she loved, was good at and received much praise for. The characters in Leaving Emma could be typical people in your own neighborhood. Emma describes one nasty girl, Meagan VanHook, as “the most beautiful, talented, intelligent girl in Northpoint Middle School, and if you weren’t sure about that, you could just ask her.” Throughout the story, Brokaw’s vivid descriptions of feelings and situations seem very realistic. Writing “whatever color concrete was, that was the color of my thoughts” made me really understand Emma’s melancholy. Leaving Emma is studded with laughs and thoughts which come together to make this a good book. I would never have chosen this book myself, yet I am glad that I read it and hope you will enjoy it, too. This book is for anyone who enjoys reading about kid problems and has a good sense of humor. Amanda Claire Gutterman, 8 Washington, D.C.
Summer Hawk
Summer Hawk by Deborah Savage; Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 1999; $16 Have you ever been in a situation you hate? This is exactly what happens to the main character, Melissa. Melissa is unhappy, living in the small rural community of Hunter’s Gap, Pennsylvania. She dislikes the people of Hunter’s Gap because she considers them small-minded and bigoted, and she longs for the happy, privileged life that she left behind in Philadelphia. Right away, I was able to identify with Melissa’s situation because I once lived in New York City, and after moving to suburban Virginia with my parents, I missed living in the city also. I found it hard to believe, though, that Melissa’s classmates could be so backwards in their thinking. For example one day Melissa brought up the subject of Bosnia in history class and one of the students thought that Bosnia was a city in Massachusetts! The other kids in her school didn’t seem to care much about education, and they constantly made fun of Melissa’s mother, who was a psychoanalyst. They joked that she was a psychopath. It was easy for me to understand why Melissa must have felt like she was surrounded by Martians. One character in the book that I found inspiring was Rail Bogart. It seemed that Melissa secretly admired Rail but would not admit it to herself because she considered him to be just a backwards country boy. I thought this was kind of snobbish of her to treat him so coldly. He was definitely different from the other kids in Hunter’s Gap. Also, I think that he really wanted to be friends with her. If I knew a boy like Rail, I wouldn’t push him away like Melissa did at first. But as I read on in the story, I was happy to see that she finally developed a close friendship with him. The character that I found the oddest of all was the wildlife biologist the townspeople call the “Hawk Lady.” At one point Melissa finds an injured baby hawk that she takes to the Hawk Lady. This eventually leads them to have a close friendship. Quite frankly, though, I questioned the sincerity of the Hawk Lady, because she had an affair with Melissa’s father, who happened to still be married to Melissa’s mother. This really made me angry! In the end, however, Melissa reconciles her friendship with the Hawk Lady, and even though I wouldn’t have, I found Summer Hawk to be a contemporary and memorable story; a story that showed me the power of love and friendship and the necessity for forgiveness. Victoria Gillette, 12 Virginia Beach, Virginia
Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness, by Deb Vanasse; Clarion Books: New York, 1999; $15 When I dimmed the lights and sat down, I expected a good book. That is not what I got. I got a great book. In Out of the Wilderness, Deb Vanasse’s extremely descriptive writing complements the vast complexities of the Alaskan wilderness. The symbolic artwork on the jacket depicts a howling wolf set in front of a beautiful aurora borealis. I believe it shows the sheer beauty and harshness of the wild. The characters are each unique in their own way. Nathan, brother to Josh, is to wildlife as Picasso was to art. He sought cover in bears’ dens, and claimed to have a mystical connection with them. He’s willing to sacrifice himself to live by his high standards. Josh, the main character, is disgusted with his brother’s feelings about wildlife. However, they aren’t considered when his brother is hurt by his own obsession. Shannon and Pete, who are brother and sister, are opposites when it comes to wildlife. Shannon has feelings for wildlife as Nathan does, but she is not obsessed with the subject. Pete makes Josh his idol, even though he is not exactly comfortable around dead animals. Another character in this book is the father of Nathan and Josh. He always worries about Nathan, his son. Frank, father to Shannon and Pete, is caring and generous. He gave up the cabin that his friend let him use to Nathan. Now that I’m done with the long list of confusing characters, I am going to tell about how I felt as I turned the pages of this book. I can relate to Nathan’s obsession because of, surprisingly, my obsession with the Internet. What I mean is that I make the Internet my top priority, instead of focusing on my schoolwork or anything else. That is similar to Nathan’s thoughts, as he makes his own safety, and even that of others, less important than his desire to bond with animals. This shows when Nathan camps out in a bear den and is attacked by a female bear protecting her cubs. I can relate to Josh in that sometimes I ignore a friend I am angry at, but if they need help with something, I forgive them and try to help. That’s like Josh, because he is annoyed with Nathan because of his thoughts about animals, but when Nathan is injured by the bear, Josh risks his life to save Nathan’s. All in all, Deb Vanasse’s Out of the Wilderness is a great book that arouses thoughts about the wilderness. Steven Yenzer, 11 Columbia, Maryland
Multiple Choice
Multiple Choice by Janet Tashjian; Henry Holt and Company: New York, 1999; $16.95 “I wish my brain were a toaster.” That’s how Monica Devon feels about the way she obsesses over everything— from the amount of beans in a beanbag to the word she spelled incorrectly in a spelling bee three years ago. Multiple Choice, by Janet Tashjian, is the story of Monica Devon, a fourteen-year-old girl whose one wish is to stop obsessing. Although she has always been a perfectionist, her condition seems to be getting worse. Since Monica has had a passion for word games and anagrams for most of her life, she creates a game, Multiple Choice, with Scrabble tiles. It’s supposed to help her become more spontaneous by making decisions for her, and for a while, it does. Monica feels as if she can do anything without having to worry because she can’t go against Multiple Choice’s solutions. However, when one of the game’s decisions results in a young boy getting hurt, Monica knows she has gone too far. One aspect I particularly liked about Multiple Choice was the creative way in which the author explained Monica’s feelings. At the beginning of many chapters were word games or anagrams which set the tone for the events to come, such as I’M THE WORLD (I’m on top of the world!). These titles, as well as Monica’s general sense of humor, “. . . and the whole point of this stupid game is to liberate me. Liberate me straight into a padded room is more like it,” result in a lighthearted tone even as Monica’s problems develop. Reading this book made me realize that obsession can be as much of a disorder as anorexia. Although everyone worries about problems they face throughout the day, some people spend so much time analyzing that they become depressed, constantly thinking about mistakes that were made years ago. Small problems that might be viewed as meaningless become monstrous ones that must be tackled, no matter how insignificant they may appear. Monica, for instance, tries to scoop beans from one beanbag to another to try to equal out their sizes. Although Monica Devon is a fictitious character, there is a little of her in all of us. There have been times in the past year when I became obsessed over my schoolwork and other things. For example, once our social studies class was assigned a report on a country in South America. I wanted to do a perfect job on the report, so I collected pages of research. By working nearly constantly on the report and staying up late on the last night, I felt that my paper would be pretty good. When I printed the report out, however, I wasn’t satisfied. I then printed out as many pictures of the country as I could find to try and make the report longer. When everyone else handed in five- and six-page reports, I might as well have made a whole book—I had twenty-one pages of text and nine of pictures! While my experiences have never been as dramatic as Monica’s, I can understand why she felt compelled to try and break out of her usual perfectionism—even if that meant hurting her family and friends. Overall, I think Multiple Choice should be a top pick for kids, particularly ones who like realistic fiction. Janet Tashjian is a talented author who makes the characters in this story seem lifelike and the many anagrams Monica includes with her humor, such as Maybe the letters in Lynn’s name saved her—that since Lynn can’t be rearranged into something else, she’s destined to live a simple, easy life without complications. I, on the other hand, have IN COMA to deal with, among other things. are both amusing and give readers a sense of her desperation. The undertones of Monica’s disorder are balanced by this story’s lighthearted feel, which come together nicely at the end of the book, along with Monica’s realization about who she is inside. Readers will find themselves, as I did, both sympathizing with Monica and feeling angry with her as she unknowingly loses control of her life. All of these elements mixed together make this story an excellent read for kids and adults alike. Lauren Porter, 12 Berlin, Connecticut
Einstein: Visionary Scientist
Einstein: Visionary Scientist by John B. Severance; Clarion Books: New York, 1999; $15 To most kids, Einstein: Visionary Scientist would seem like “a book about some dead guy whose ideas I don’t understand.” At first, I was too busy thinking about writing this review to have any opinion on this book. Once I was into the book, I forgot about the review and enjoyed the story immensely. I was surprised to discover that Albert was a slow learner, and that he had a ferocious temper. This was something I could relate to. When I was in elementary school I lagged behind the others in my class. My frustration lead me to have a bad temper. However, my temper was pint-sized compared to Albert’s tantrums. Once, he just missed his sister Maja with a bowling ball. Another time, he hit his sister with the handle of a garden hoe. Even on my worst days, I never threw a bowling ball. Something I didn’t know was that Albert took violin lessons. I took violin lessons too, but I never had a lesson like Albert’s. On his first lesson he threw a chair at his teacher. That nasty disposition again! Two other things about Albert’s education surprised me. One, he was a dreamy student. He was oblivious to the world around him and was lost in his own scientific thoughts. I also am like that sometimes, I get lost in my own world. The other was that he flunked all of his subjects except math and physics. I was amazed because I thought that smart people were good in everything. Albert’s principal once said, “It doesn’t matter how we teach him, he’ll never amount to anything anyway.” He was obviously wrong! Another way that Albert and I are alike: we both like to write papers on our ideas. Years later when he was at the peak of his popularity, he would tour all over, and speak of his theories he had written about. I found it interesting that he was booed at some lectures; I guess there were people who just didn’t understand his ideas. I don’t totally agree with Albert’s pacifist views. I enjoy studying about war and the armed forces. I think the reason for this difference is that he was a Jew during Hitler’s reign over Europe, whereas I have never been that close to war and have always known freedom. The author, John B. Severance, did a remarkable job of making Einstein’s difficult ideas understandable. If you had to do a school project on a famous scientist, this would be an excellent reference book to use. It demonstrates that although this is a book about the smartest guy in the world, you, too, can understand Albert Einstein. This is a really great book that I’d recommend to anyone, especially if you’ve ever been misunderstood or not liked. It shows you that even if you are picked on or put down, as long as you keep trying you will never be a failure. Who knows, you might be the next smartest person in history. Casey Pelletier, 13 Telford, Pennsylvania
I, Too, Sing America
I, Too, Sing America by Catherine Clinton; Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 1998; $20 This is a collection of African-American poetry that is tragic and triumphant. You will learn a lot about history from these poems. I am an eighthgrader studying American history at Farb Middle School. This book helped me understand the issue of slavery from the point of view of people who were slaves, and made me think about racism and discrimination in America in a way that I didn’t think about from reading my textbook from school. This book is a mixture of poets’ biographies, the history of the time when they were alive, and their writings. It begins in the 1700s and continues through today. There are poems about Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Other poems describe Indian attacks and the American Revolution. Famous African-Americans such as Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, and W. E. B. Du Bois are included in this book. Also, I learned about poets that I never heard of before I read this book. The illustrations are strong, beautiful drawings by Stephen Alcorn. When I saw the cover of this book, I wanted to have it because it was so beautiful. The book cover, people dancing on books and reaching for stars, captures the hope that many of the poems make you feel inside as you read them. My favorite poem is written by Langston Hughes, titled “Merry-Go-Round, Colored Child at Carnival.” It stuck in my head because I remember when I went to Seaport Village in San Diego and my mother let my brother, my sister and me ride the carousel. We sat on the beautiful horses, going up and down, and laughing as the carousel went around. I didn’t laugh when I read the poem about a colored child who wanted to know where was the section for colored people to ride. This poem is a history lesson about Jim Crow laws, which made separate things for Caucasian people and colored people such as drinking fountains, bathrooms, schools and restaurants. The child asks, “Where’s the horse for a kid that’s black?” He says he knows where the back of the bus is but he wonders where the back of the carousel is. My brother, sister and I would have been the children watching the Caucasian children laugh and wondered why we couldn’t get on if we had been alive when the author had lived. What I didn’t like about the book is that I didn’t understand all the poetry. I will try to read those poems when I am older. What I like best about this book is that it has poetry by people I have seen on TV like Maya Angelou, and people like Lucy Terry, who was a slave in the 1700s, and a section telling about the poet. These poems are like a history lesson that grabs your heart and doesn’t let go. I like history, but reading my middle school textbook is a little bit boring. You won’t let go of this book, I, Too Sing America, until you have read every poem in it. Jessica Arguilez Bans, 13 San Diego, California
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt; Henry Holt and Company: New York, 1999; $16.95 Has a trailer from nowhere with a 300-pound boy inside ever pulled up in front of your local grocery store? That’s exactly what happened in When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. When I first picked up this book I found it only slightly entertaining, but as I read on I became very involved and couldn’t put it down. In the book, a 300-pound boy, Zachary Beaver, is brought to Antler, Texas, in a trailer pulled by his legal guardian, Paulie, who charges people two dollars for a look at Zachary—a one-man freak show, “The Fattest Boy in the World.” At first everyone in the town stays away from Zachary because he is different, and in a small town like Antler, different is bad. Zachary’s situation reminded me of a kid at an acting camp I knew who everyone made fun of— just because he was fat. Even though I’d never talked to him, I knew on the inside he was probably a great guy and I felt really sorry for him. I watched this boy sit by himself and draw—he was a great drawer—and I started talking to him some. Whenever somebody is different, people often stay away from them, but in some cases they get used to them and then, in a way, befriend them. I guess that’s what I did. And that’s what happened with Zachary. Toby and Cal, two best friends in Antler—Toby being the slightest bit more mature—stay away from Zachary at first but after a while decide to help Zachary have some fun. They have Cal’s older sister, who just learned to drive, take them and Zachary to a drive-in movie by building stairs in the back of the truck so he could get out. He was too fat to get out of the trailer otherwise. They even fulfill Zachary’s dream to be baptized. Zachary wanted to be baptized because that was his mom’s dream for him before she died. When she died, he went to her funeral, but there was such a crowd staring at him (because of his weight) that he wouldn’t get baptized. In the end, the Bowl-a-Rama owner, Ferris, who was almost a preacher, baptizes Zachary. Eventually, the people of Antler got used to Zachary being there, and they start to feel sorry for him, and would even leave him food on his door step and run away. The book has a selection of everything from tragedy to even a little romance between the prettiest girl in town and Toby. But the main point of the book, and the part I liked best, was the way the author showed the many ways that people learn to live with and actually like strangers. This is probably a common experience, much like another one of my experiences with a Turkish boy who was in my third-grade class. He was made fun of because of his name, Bilge, and because of his personality. Over the year, I learned to like him a lot, even though no one else did, probably because my personality was more like his than the other boys in my class. I keep asking my mom how we can find Bilge in Turkey, because I miss him, but all we know about him is his first name. Probably the saddest part of the book, and another feeling that I’ve had some experience with, was when Cal’s older brother, Wayne, who everyone likes, is fighting in the Vietnam War and near the end, dies. Before Wayne dies, Toby writes him a letter pretending to be Cal, because Cal never returned any of Wayne’s letters to him because he was too lazy. When Cal figures this out, it threatens their friendship. I can’t relate to that but my friend can. Once I told him a secret and he, not thinking, told someone else, causing me to be very upset. In the end, it all turned out all right. He apologized and the secret didn’t cause too much harm. As for what happens to Cal and Toby’s friendship, well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out. Eli Black, 9 Austin, Texas
The Dancer Who Flew: A Memoir of Rudolf Nureyev
The Dancer Who Flew: A Memoir of Rudolf Nureyev by Linda Maybarduk; Tundra Books: Toronto, 1999; $18.95 When I was nine years old, I was in a musical at the local university in my town, the University of Michigan. My friends in the cast and I would stand in the wings and watch the dancers onstage, awed by the gracefulness and majesty they created. We would try to imitate the dances backstage, trying to get every lift and every spin just right. The dances were incredibly difficult for people of our age and size, but somehow we managed to do all of them. There was one lift I did where I would actually fly through the air like a bird. Once I was so overcome I fell on the ground laughing with delight. I’ve read many books about dance, but this is the only one I have ever read that captures the passion of dance. I expected another book listing dates of famous dances and who played what role. Instead I received an emotional book which reflected my own feelings for dancing, and which made me want to throw down the book and dance. The Dancer Who Flew: A Memoir of Rudolf Nureyev by Linda Maybarduk is a biography of Rudolf Nureyev, who changed dancing forever. Linda Maybarduk was Rudolf’s personal friend, so she told a lot about her own experiences with him, which made the book much more personal and touching. Rudolf grew up in the communist country of Russia, where his family was struggling to make ends meet. For much of his childhood, his father was away at war, so his mother had to work twice as hard. While his father was away, Rudolf discovered dancing when his mother took him to a ballet on New Year’s Eve. From then on he became obsessed with ballet. Rudolf’s father was not at all supportive of his son’s dreams and ambitions when he returned from the war. So on his own money and willpower, Rudolf auditioned for the Leningrad Ballet School in Russia and made it. While he was at the Leningrad Ballet School, Rudolf and his friends would sneak out of the school late at night and dance. They would chase each other around trying to jump faster, higher, or farther than the other. This was my favorite part of the book because the author expresses their love for dance so wonderfully that I could so easily imag- me three excited teenagers running around Leningrad dancing and laughing. What I loved about the book was that it was so clear that this man was born to perform and loved every minute on stage. I could relate to this so well that sometimes I had to put down the book to think about my own experiences on stage. The author expressed how nervous he was before he went on stage, but then when he was there, he felt perfectly at home and happy. I’ve felt the same way, so overwhelmed I want to burst. When you know you are doing well and you are making people happy, it is the most effervescent and wonderful feeling. I could tell that Rudolf felt the same way, and I felt almost a connection to him, even though I never met him. Rudolf often talked about the invisible energy that propelled him through so many performances, even years after he should have retired. I, too, have felt that same invisible energy and passion that draws me back to the stage time and time again. It’s really very simple. Despite hard work, performing is one of the best things on earth. Marit Rogne, 12 Ann Arbor, Michigan
Our Only May Amelia
Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer Holm; HarperCollins Books: New York, 1999; $15.95 Close your eyes and imagine that you’re the only girl on the Nasel River in the state of Washington, you have seven brothers to deal with, you have a very mean grandmother, and on top of everything, your birthday wish which seems to go right, is instead hindered. That is the exact same scenario that May Amelia Jackson deals with. But she’s not your ordinary everyday girl. She loves to go on exciting adventures in the woods and in town with her favorite brother Wilbert, but sometimes these adventures could lead to disasters. May Amelia Jackson is sometimes called a “no-good girl” by her father. That is because she is always getting into mischief. She has six-and-a-half brothers, the half being Kaarlo, her cousin, who was given to her parents when Kaarlo was only ten years old. When I started to read the book, I felt sorry for May Amelia because she was the only girl in a town, and I thought that she would be very lonesome, for there was no other girl to play with her. Then, as I read further into the book, I learned that she would always play with her brother Wilbert because they both liked to go exploring. I didn’t really like her cousin Kaarlo because he was always teasing her and Wilbert. One time, when May Amelia accidentally let go of a board Kaarlo was fixing, the push of the board sent Kaarlo flying into the muck that the pigs played in. May Amelia tried to say it was an accident, but Kaarlo didn’t listen to her. He picked her up and intentionally threw her into the muck. He gave a snicker and walked away. I felt happy when Wilbert came over and helped May Amelia out and then he told Kaarlo never to do it again. Kaarlo just shrugged his shoulders and went inside to get cleaned off. One part of the book made me literally sit on the edge of my seat because it was so exciting. When Lonny Petersen, their next-door neighbor, asked May Amelia, Kaarlo, and Wilbert if they wanted to go collect cranberries at his Cousin Thymei’s bogs, they all agreed and started on their journey. As they moved ahead, the fog began to kick in. It was so thick that they couldn’t even see their own hands in front of them! Luckily, Lonny said that he knew the way and he would lead everybody. As they approached a big old bridge, Lonny told them to be careful because the bridge might collapse any minute. Suddenly Lonny stopped. He asked the three if they heard a baby crying. Lonny was known to hear things, but this time, everybody heard it. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge cougar jumped out. They all started running until they got to the other side of the bridge. The bridge all of a sudden gave in and the cougar fell into the river. Before it went down, it gave a roar that startled everyone. I was very glad that none of them had been hurt by the attack. The saddest part in the story was when May Amelia’s mother was having a baby. May Amelia had always wished that the baby would be a girl, so she could have a girl to talk to and not always a boy. Then, after the baby came out, it turned out to be a girl. May Amelia was so excited. She then decided to name the baby Amy Alice Jackson, since “Amy” was MAY scrambled up and “Alice” after one of her aunts. Her mother immediately became ill after the childbirth so May had to take care of her. She fed Amy and made sure that she slept well. Then, on Christmas Eve, May noticed that baby Amy had not cried all night. She put her ear to Amy’s chest and did not hear anything. She screamed so loud that everyone rushed up. They asked what had happened and she cried that the baby was dead. Baby Amy was buried on Smith Island, which is an island in the middle of the Nasel. At the funeral, evil Grandmother Patience said that if only the baby had been in the care of her real mother and not in the care of that wicked child, then she still might be alive. At that very statement, May Amelia ran as hard as she could until she got to Astoria, where she went to her Uncle Henry and Aunt Feenie’s house. She stayed there a couple of weeks until she went back home. Our Only May Amelia is a very good book, with sadness, excitement, adventure, and even a little bit of comedy. After I read this book, I got to thinking. What if I was the only one of my gender in a whole town? Would I have handled the situation as smoothly as May Amelia did? I honestly think that I couldn’t have lived through it. I would want to immediately move away from there. I admire how May Amelia took the best of things and did a lot of stuff her own way. Even when everyone in her family wanted her to be a “proper young lady,” she continued to go on adventures with her brother Wilbert. You should read the book to learn more about May Amelia’s many adventures. Kevin Zhou, 11 Danville, California
When Mack Came Back
When Mack Came Back by Brad Strickland; Dial Books for Young Readers: New York, 2000; $15.99 I’ve always loved dogs, but I can never have one, because of my allergies. The book When Mack Came Back was appealing to me because I could understand how much the boy wanted a dog and what he felt like when he thought the dog would die. Whether you have a dog or not, you will enjoy this book! This book is about a family’s struggles during World War II. The older brother Ben has gone off to war and the youngest son, Maury, feels very alone. There is very little money, and people can barely buy what they need. The father doesn’t like Maury as much as he likes Ben because they are so different. For example, the father and Ben like hunting while Maury would rather read and go to school. I admire Maury because he is very good at school and he is so brave. He knew his father wouldn’t approve, but he made the choice to sell his bike to save his dog. He risked getting in trouble, because calling the vet was the right thing to do. Sometimes, whether people like it . or not, you have to do what you know is right. There are many exciting parts in this story that make it difficult to put down. One of these times was when Maury thought he would lose his dog due to illness. A vet came and cured the dog just when Maury thought he would die. The father still tried to get the dog out of the house by attempting to give the dog away. To my relief Mack and Maury got to stay together after all. I have had a similar experience. Once I had a pug, but my mother gave him away because of my asthma. I missed playing with Brooklyn very much. I feel lucky because my dad plays with me and is much nicer than Maury’s dad. I learned many things from When Mack Came Back. Unlike Maury’s father, you can like people even if they are different from you. For example, if there is a new kid who comes to your school who is different, you can still be friends. I also learned to do what’s right even if other people are against you. Maury makes some tough decisions but gets some great rewards . Austin Alvermann, 8 Richboro, Pennsylvania
Destiny
Destiny by Vicki Grove; G. P. Putnam’s Sons: New York, 2000; $16.99 D0 you believe in fate? Do you believe that our lives all have a certain destiny? Or do you believe in free will? These are the main questions that the book Destiny, by Vicki Grove, grapples with. The title, Destiny, doesn’t just refer to fate, though. The main character of this novel is named Destiny Louise Capperson. Destiny is a powerful name. In ancient Greek mythology, Zeus, the god of the sky, and Themis, goddess of justice and law, had children called the Destinies. The Destinies were three sisters “born from the just heavens” who measured and snipped the threads of life. However, that’s not what Destiny Capperson does. She has chores like hauling around half-rotten potatoes for local folks to buy. Destiny Capperson is an artistic girl born into a life of chaos. Virginia, her mother, is a high-school dropout who believes that she will win the lottery because a telephone psychic tells her that “something good, big and soon” is going to happen to the Cappersons in the form of “moola.” Jack, Destiny’s stepfather, is a bad-hearted and lazy bum who has resorted to harmful actions just to get money. Nathan, Ethelene, and Roberta are the younger siblings that complete Destiny’s family. When Nathan was younger, maybe five or six, he got his legs crunched in a car accident—or supposedly an accident. Jack had been driving his truck, with Nathan in it, and another car rammed into it. Nathan’s legs got smashed forward, and with the impact, were crushed. At least, that’s the story that Jack tells (but you can’t always believe Jack). Destiny tries to help out her family by getting a part-time job reading to a retired Latin teacher whose eyes are going bad. Mrs. Peck, the teacher, tells Destiny all about ancient Greek and Roman mythology. That’s where Destiny learns the true origin of her name, about goddesses who controlled the fates of people. Mrs. Peck gives Destiny a book about the ancient myths. When Destiny brings the book home, she finds a picture of Mrs. Peck inside that she uses for her bookmark. But when Nathan sees the photograph of Mrs. Peck, he immediately screeches, “That’s the bad lady! She was in the other car that crunched my legs!” That’s when Destiny’s world turns upside down. I love all of the ties to Greek and Roman mythology in this book because I adore reading the ancient myths myself. Destiny learns all about the gods and goddesses from Mrs. Peck, and I learned mythology from a Latin teacher, too! In my school, all of the students have to take a mythology test every year. We study and study for it, and our Latin teacher tells us all sorts of myths. Although Destiny doesn’t have to take a mythology test, Mrs. Peck does tell her the stories of the gods and goddesses. When Mrs. Peck tells Destiny that her namesakes were “born from the just heavens,” Destiny begins to feel as if she was born right out of the sky, too, instead of being the child of dreamy, scheming Virginia Capperson and some man that she doesn’t even know. Vicki Grove does a wonderful job of “painting” her characters. Take Virginia Capperson, for instance. Can’t you just see her in the following paragraph? My mother sank to a chair and buried both hands in her short blond hair. You could see the purple acrylic nails she bought herself for her twenty-ninth birthday last summer shining through. Vicki Grove also describes the people in her story through dialogue. Jack has the slang tone of an uneducated truck driver. Mrs. Peck uses perfect grammar, just as you would expect a teacher to do. Destiny talks like any normal kid, and Virginia always sounds as if life just hit her hard in the face and she still wants to ignore it. Vicki Grove makes it clear that each character has his or her own little world, and you find out more and more about each of the worlds as you read this great book. Consider it your fate to read Destiny. Adrienne Raphel, 11 St. Johnsbury, Vermont
