bookshelf

RALEIGH’S PAGE

Name: RALEIGH’S PAGE
Author: Alan Armstrong
ISBN: 978-0-375-83319-9

by Alan Armstrong & illustrated by Tim Jessell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 25, 2007

bookshelf

Young Andrew’s mind’s been set afire by his teacher’s enthusiasm for the opportunities offered by America, so when his father finds him a position as page to Sir Walter Raleigh, he dares to hope for overseas excitement. Once ensconced in Raleigh’s household, he quickly becomes caught up in the web of intrigue that is Queen Elizabeth’s court. When events take Andrew, his teacher and Raleigh’s navigator to Virginia, they find themselves at the mercy of both insufficient provisions and the military captain of the enterprise, whose determination to find gold leads to the first in a tragic history of conflicts with the Native Americans. The monumental research that provides the foundation for this tale is woven effortlessly into the account of Andrew’s coming-of-age, the brutality and the prejudices of the times always evident. Armstrong walks a fine line between accurately representing the beliefs and sensibilities of 16th-century Englishmen and accommodating modern social attitudes, a feat he accomplishes neatly, between Andrew’s native teenage sense of justice and the introduction of Sky, Andrew’s Native-American friend. It’s an absorbing historical adventure from an emerging master. (Fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-375-83319-9

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
RACING THE MOON
by Alan Armstrong & illustrated by Tim Jessell

- BOOK REVIEW
LOOKING FOR MARCO POLO
by Alan Armstrong and illustrated by Tim Jessell

- BOOK REVIEW
WHITTINGTON
by Alan Armstrong & illustrated by S.D. Schindler

bookshelf

THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING

by Shelley Pearsall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 2015

Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

bookshelf

Traumatized by his father’s recent death, a boy throws a brick at an old man who collects junk in his neighborhood and winds up on probation working for him.

Pearsall bases the book on a famed real work of folk art, the Throne of the Third Heaven, by James Hampton, a janitor who built his work in a garage in Washington, D.C., from bits of light bulbs, foil, mirrors, wood, bottles, coffee cans, and cardboard—the titular seven most important things. In late 1963, 13-year-old Arthur finds himself looking for junk for Mr. Hampton, who needs help with his artistic masterpiece, begun during World War II. The book focuses on redemption rather than art, as Hampton forgives the fictional Arthur for his crime, getting the boy to participate in his work at first reluctantly, later with love. Arthur struggles with his anger over his father’s death and his mother’s new boyfriend. Readers watch as Arthur transfers much of his love for his father to Mr. Hampton and accepts responsibility for saving the art when it becomes endangered. Written in a homespun style that reflects the simple components of the artwork, the story guides readers along with Arthur to an understanding of the most important things in life.

Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)