July/August 2004

Where in the World by Simon French; Peachtree Publishers: Atlanta, 2003; $14.95 Have you ever not wanted to do something, but been forced to do it anyway? Ari, a boy with an extraordinary gift for music, certainly was in Where in the World when Mr. Lee, his music teacher, tried to make him play the violin at an end-of-the-year recital. As I read I thought about how much like me Ari was. I was nervous the first time I played a piano in front of people I didn’t know because I was afraid that I would make a mistake and look foolish. Since I got a lot of encouragement from my parents, grandparents and music teacher I got up the courage to try even though I was still scared. As soon as I began to play I forgot that I even had an audience until they started to applaud at the end. Now I look forward to concerts. A similar situation happened to Ari too. Ari enjoyed playing the violin for fun and for his parents’ enjoyment but he didn’t want to play at the end-of-the-year recital because he was embarrassed about playing the violin. He was afraid that other children would tease him. One day while his friend, Thomas, was over, Ari’s grandfather called on the telephone and asked to hear Ari play the violin. After he was done Thomas asked Ari whether he would play some more songs for him because he thought they sounded beautiful. Ari thought Thomas was teasing him and he put the violin away. Several weeks later Ari’s stepfather, Jamie, asked Ari whether he would consider playing the violin for his mother’s birthday at the café his parents owned. Ari’s mother and Jamie always played music to entertain the customers after dinner. Ari said that he would consider it. He didn’t know what to do but finally he made up his mind to play at the café because he loved his mother so much and wanted to make her proud. When he did he discovered that he liked playing in front of other people. He and the audience appreciated each other. That was the turning point where he realized that he could play at the recital without any fears. The author, Simon French, can make you feel sad, happy, or even disappointed for Ari. One point where I particularly noticed this was when Ari’s grandfather died. Even though none of my grandparents have died I can’t imagine life without any of them. After his grandfather died Ari said that he never wanted to play a violin again. This was probably due to the fact that his grandfather had taught him to play the violin. His parents told him how much talent he had and encouraged him to develop that talent and not let it go to waste. He realized that his grandfather would want him to continue playing. Mr. Lee was hired to teach Ari. As I read I realized that it’s impossible to go through life always getting your way. Sooner or later someone will make you do something you don’t want to. New experiences can be scary but can lead to exciting new opportunities. I strongly recommend this book. It is impossible not to like Ari and sympathize with the difficult situations that he has to overcome. Whether the reader is a musician or not all of us have to face trying new situations as we grow. Bill T. Hallahan, 10Nashua, New Hampshire

Willow and Twig by Jean Little; Viking: New York, 2000; $15.99 Most people can relate to having an annoying little brother that is “Velcro-ed” to you wherever you go, or to counting on your grandma for love. But Willow doesn’t only need to count on her grandma for love, she and her brother, nicknamed Twig, need to count on her to survive! Willow and her four-year-old brother, whom everyone thinks is stupid because he can’t talk yet, are living with an elderly caretaker, Maisie, in a cramped one-room apartment. The children’s mother, a drug addict, is out in the world seemingly unaware that she has just broken yet another promise that means everything to her kids. This time, the kids know she is never coming back, never. In daycare or kindergarten, most kids worry that their parents won’t come to pick them up, but that usually never happens. Only Willow and Twig’s mom obviously has no idea how much coming back means to a kid. After about four months, Maisie dies. Willow and Twig are forced to turn to the police for help. After the threat of being sent off to two separate foster homes, Willow decides to call her long-lost grandma who supposedly never wants to see her again, or so her mother has told her. Until that telephone call, Grandma doesn’t even know Twig exists! Even though their grandma is happy to take them in, Willow is still scared that she will get angry at disruptive Twig and send them away. Once they seem to be settled in with blind Uncle Hum and kind Gram, other people come along who could spell trouble. Willow is at first happy to discover a neighbor her own age, until Sabrina Marr lies to her and runs off in a huff. And then Aunt Con, her grandmother’s wretched sister who absolutely hates children, decides to move in with them. At this point in the book, I didn’t know what would happen to Willow and Twig. Would Aunt Con convince Gram and Uncle Hum to get rid of them? Would Twig push too many buttons and get them both in trouble? Willow’s only hope now was to pray. Pray that Aunt Con would find love in her heart to let them stay. Pray that she and Twig would be loved. Pray that Sabrina would turn out to be nice. Pray. When I read this book I placed myself in Willow’s position and learned how other children might feel. How other children in our world struggle for food and water while we take it for granted. How others long to be loved, to have friends, to just sit down and laugh with their family members, while that is built into our daily lives. This book really made me think about what else is happening in the world while we sit down to play a game or to watch TV. Not everybody has the same privileges, and not everybody’s family looks the same. When you read this book you might get the same message I did, or you might have a different point of view. No matter what, though, I will bet you will find Willow and Twig to be a fascinating story about two children who overcome lots of obstacles and help to create a family they can count on to be safe and happy. Susanna Cai, 11Portland, Oregon