While some will find the story profoundly moving, overall this is a ponderous and outmoded narrative for a niche audience.
Holocaust survivor Appelfeld’s (The Man Who Never Stopped Sleeping, 2017, etc.) posthumous middle-grade novel.
When Jewish Michael is still a boy, his father sends him to assume a gentile identity as Yanek and live on the road under the guidance of Grandpa Sergei, a Ukrainian former employee and soldier. Their relationship is mutually beneficial: Grandpa Sergei is blind and appreciates assistance in navigating the countryside while Yanek needs help surviving as a wanderer. Grandpa Sergei has one goal: to deliver his charge safely home after World War II is over. Along the way, he shares his insights with Yanek, training him to fight for justice. Appelfeld’s prose, translated from Hebrew, is spare, slow, and matter-of-fact. Focusing on the wisdom of Grandpa Sergei, who at one time wanted to be a priest, the narrative is heavily religious, and lessons are presented with little subtlety. Ableist language, while perhaps historically accurate, is used throughout, and there is a particularly surprising scene in which Grandpa Sergei casually endorses statutory rape. Contemporary readers who are unaware of the historical context and changing gender norms may struggle to make sense of the repeated message that crying denotes weakness. Characters default to white.
While some will find the story profoundly moving, overall this is a ponderous and outmoded narrative for a niche audience. (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60980-898-3
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Triangle Square Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
An outstanding new edition of this popular modern classic (Newbery Award, 1961), with an introduction by Zena Sutherland and...
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1990
ISBN: 0-395-53680-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Navigating this stunning novel requires thought and concentration, but it’s well worth the effort.
Returning to themes she explored so affectingly in Moon Over Manifest (2011), Newbery Medalist Vanderpool delivers another winning picaresque about memories, personal journeys, interconnectedness—and the power of stories.
Thirteen-year-old Jack enters boarding school in Maine after his mother’s death at the end of World War II. He quickly befriends Early Auden, a savant whose extraordinary facility with numbers allows him to “read” a story about “Pi” from the infinite series of digits that follow 3.14. Jack accompanies Early in one of the school crew team’s rowing boats on what Jack believes is his friend’s fruitless quest to find a great bear allegedly roaming the wilderness—and Early’s brother, a legendary figure reportedly killed in battle. En route, Early spins out Pi’s evolving saga, and the boys encounter memorable individuals and adventures that uncannily parallel those in the stories. Vanderpool ties all these details, characters, and Jack’s growing maturity and self-awareness together masterfully and poignantly, though humor and excitement leaven the weighty issues the author and Jack frequently pose. Some exploits may strain credulity; Jack’s self-awareness often seems beyond his years, and there are coincidences that may seem too convenient. It’s all of a piece with Vanderpool’s craftsmanship. Her tapestry is woven and finished off seamlessly. The ending is very moving, and there’s a lovely, last-page surprise that Jack doesn’t know but that readers will have been tipped off about.
Navigating this stunning novel requires thought and concentration, but it’s well worth the effort. (author’s note, with questions and answers, list of resources) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-385-74209-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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