Promises to the Dead by Mary Downing Hahn; Clarion Books: New York, 2000; $15 Promises to the dead is a very interesting book. On the surface it seems simple, but scratch beneath the surface and you will find a unique story that obviously took some work. In Promises to the Dead, a young boy named Jesse happens upon a pregnant slave woman and her son. As the woman goes into labor, she sends Jesse to fetch an abolitionist midwife who lives nearby. As her condition quickly deteriorates after delivering a dead child, she makes Jesse promise to bring her little boy, Perry, to her dead master’s sister in Baltimore. Then she dies, leaving Jesse stuck with his promise, since you can’t break promises made to the dead. For the rest of the book, Jesse and Perry have to evade a slave-catcher, as well as Perry’s master’s widow. Because Perry was his master’s illegitimate son, his mistress would like to get rid of him as fast as possible. Finally the two boys manage to find freedom, despite the hardships along the way. I thought the plot was unique, because it dealt with normal people having to help runaway slaves. The only people that one usually hears about are the names that are now famous, like Harriet Tubman. Mary Downing Hahn shows the reality of the normal abolitionist. That was my favorite part of the plot. I really enjoyed how many ideas she was able to rope into one plot and be able to make it work. However, I didn’t think the plot was very plausible. It seems like there are many things that are hard for Jesse and Perry, and yet somehow there are many things that miraculously happen so that they are able to keep going. I would have enjoyed the book a lot more if Mary Downing Hahn had kept things agreeing with what she had said earlier in the story (i.e., what would happen if Perry’s owner got him back). I also thought the book was a little too easy to read, so I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone aged twelve and above, or with an above average reading level. However, all in all, the originality of the plot made it a light read that made up for unlikable details in the plot. There are many things in this book that are phenomenally well done. Not only does the plot have certain intricacies that keep the pages turning, but also the characters are extremely well drawn. Mary Downing Hahn knows how to make the reader like the good characters and hate the bad. She has successfully mastered the art of character creation, which I, as a writer, often struggle with. Making characters with multi-dimensional personalities of their own is a hard task. I commend her for making it seem easy. I also appreciated the honesty in this book. It is very hard to write a book on slavery and abolition (trust me, I’ve tried) and make it seem real. Mary Downing Hahn showed that it was the common people and not just those known as conductors on the Underground Railroad that made the real difference in eliminating slavery. I think that it produces good lessons to all of us out there today: keeping promises is important, and no matter what you do, it’s important not to give up along the way, because you are somehow making a difference. Jesse remembered that when he was taking Perry to safety, and he fought to keep going. I try to remember that whenever things seem pointless, that no matter what, I need to keep going until I succeed. Reed Gochberg, 13St. Paul, Minnesota
Book-Reviews
Queen’s Own Fool
Queen’s Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris; Philomel Books: New York, 2000; $19.99 My dictionary tells me that “history” is a record of significant events in the past. It is a perfectly valid explanation of the word, but it leaves some things out. While poring over our history books in school, we often do not fully grasp that these people were real. They loved and feared and grieved, as we in the twenty-first century do. It takes a truly gifted author to take a piece of history and make it a fascinating tale. Jane Yolen and Robert Harris have won a place among these talented few with their novel, Queen’s Own Fool. They have taken the true story of a remarkable young girl who led a daring life when women were considered to be inferior to men in every way. And they have brought this tale, overlooked by the history books, to the present. This girl, Nicola, is an intelligent, talkative, friendly person, one that we can sympathize with through all her dangers and hardships. Through her own point of view, she tells the story of the famous Mary Queen of Scots. The supporting characters—not all of them likable—expand the reality of the tale. Madame Jacqueline, Nicola’s tutor, is one such character. She is a complete tyrant. Jacqueline demands that Nicola’s intelligence be harnessed to the restrictive standards of her society. She also stifles Nicola’s originality and innocent wit, trying to force her pupil into a conventional female role. However, the reason Madame Jacqueline is so interesting is that she can be viewed as the opposite of Queen Mary. For example, in the beginning of the book, Nicola and her uncle’s family are lodged in a bleak, gray room, symbolizing their lowly position in society. When the queen arrives, she brings comfort and warmth to the room. Later in the book, Nicola is in a similar position, but this time she is alone in the coldness, without Pierre, Annette, or any of her old friends to comfort her. And worse, it is not the kind, merry queen who enters the bleak room, but the stern, stiff, unsympathetic tutor. Instead of bringing joy and hope to her surroundings, Madame Jacqueline makes a bad situation terrible. Some likable characters hold interest for the reader as well. One is Davie Riccio, a dwarf who has risen above the place his society demands that he take. Rather than being a jester that everyone laughs at, he has become one of the most important politicians in the royal court. But the price for his defiance of his culture’s standards is great when his pride and audacity overcome his caution. My father owns a garden that I visit often. It is a place of renewal and rebirth, where plants spring up from the seemingly lifeless dirt. Nicola has similar experiences among gardens, but it is she who is renewed. It is at gardens that her life is changed—first, when she meets the queen, who takes Nicola out of her former impoverished life. Later, when she encounters La Renaudie, the Protestant outlaw, her idealized, happily-every-after view of the royal court is destroyed. The only major flaw I found in Queen’s Own Fool was that it presented a misleading image of Queen Mary. In the story, she is portrayed as a kind, courageous, freedom-loving woman. In all probability, this is not the truth. Some historians claim that she plotted against Queen Elizabeth and played an important part in the plan to murder her husband. In addition, I thought the queen was too perfect to be very believable. But this book is well worth reading. Through authors like Jane Yolen and Robert Harris, history rises from the grave to reenact itself before us! Julia Zelman, 12Montville, New Jersey
Fiona’s Private Pages
Fiona’s Private Pages by Robin Cruise; Harcourt, Inc.: New York, 2000; $15 What do you think makes a True Friend? Is it someone who, as Fiona Claire Jardin thinks: 1) always says nice things about you, agrees with you 100 percent, and thinks you look perfect; 2) never gets mad or disappointed in you and never keeps you waiting; 3) keeps your secrets no matter what; 4) never gossips or passes notes about you; 5) is exactly like you? Or is a True Friend more like what her mother, Laurel Ryan, believes? A True Friend: 1) sees you with her heart; 2) listens to you with her heart; 3) knows and loves you in her heart; 4) carries you in her heart; 5) opens her heart to you. This is the question that Fiona explores in this book. Fiona’s Private Pages is a wonderful book based on the pleasures and trials of friendship. It seems like every one of her ideas about friendship had to be tested and maybe changed. I could definitely understand many of Fiona’s feelings. Fiona has a best friend named Blanca, and two “second-best friends” named Katie and Natalie. One of her struggles involves Natalie. Natalie has been having trouble in school, and her mother says that if she cannot bring her grades up, she will have to change schools. Fiona decides to help by asking Katie to tutor Natalie in math, but, unfortunately, her grades remain low and her parents transfer her to a Catholic girls’ school. Although the girls still live in the same town, Fiona is worried that this change will hurt their friendship. When I was five years old, my family and I moved from Connecticut to California. I tried to keep in touch with my best friend Sally, but we didn’t have the patience to write letters. Then, just last year, my best friend Madeleine moved to New York. Now that I am twelve, it is easier to keep up a friendship by writing and calling, but it is still a lot harder than when you see each other every day. A good friend is worth the effort. Fiona has another challenge with friends at school. A new girl, Mackenzie Swanson, has just started at Fiona’s school and is already very popular. Fiona did not like Mackenzie from the beginning because she embarrassed Fiona in front of the whole class. As if this weren’t enough, she also wrote and passed mean notes about her. Since Fiona assumes Mackenzie does not like her, she is surprised when Mackenzie invites her to spend the night. Fiona is confused because she is attracted to Mackenzie’s wealth and popularity, but she doubts Mackenzie cares about being a true friend. I used to have “friends” like Mackenzie. They were cool and popular, but I was not content. Half the time they were nice to me and half the time they were not. I stopped hanging out with that group, and, although I am not popular anymore, I am much happier with my real friends who I know I can trust. Then, as if all these troubles were not enough, Katie tells Fiona a secret and makes her promise not to tell anyone! This is a big problem for Fiona because she knows if she does not tell anyone, Katie will be in terrible danger. But of course, this is number three on her True Friend list. Although I have never been in a situation quite as bad as this, many kids have. Should a person risk losing a friend in order to help her, or should secrets be kept no matter what? I think it is worth it to risk the friendship, especially if the secret is potentially dangerous to someone. Chances are your friend will forgive you and most likely be grateful in the long run. One year later, after all these ups and downs with friendship, Fiona reviews her list and realizes that her ideas of a True Friend have greatly changed. She understands that people can get mad at each other and still be friends. She also realizes how boring life would be if all her friends were just like her. I think many people will love to read Fiona’s Private Pages and see that Fiona’s experiences are much like their own. This book reminds me of what a True Friend really is, and how to be one. Emily Rice, 12San Anselmo, California
