The author’s attempts to create atmosphere with constant references to half-glimpsed figures, encroaching fog, unexplained noises, etc., come off as labored in these ten tales of the supernatural. Spinning stories to a young visitor from various topics of conversation or small objects in his cluttered study, melancholy old Uncle Montague describes what happens to an arrogant lad who climbs a malevolent elm, a case of demonic possession related to a carved wooden grotesque, a traveler’s frantic and fatal flight from his own battered corpse and like incidents or cautionary tales. All, along with a linking narrative, are related in the same somber, even tones and formal language—except perhaps for one sparkler featuring a blind old woman who turns a young hooligan into an apple tree and then picks up her pruning shears—none are likely to cause even minor disquiet. Priestley usually does better. (Short stories. 11-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59990-118-3
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A honeyed reminiscence of a real time and place sustains appreciation for its characters, and the gentle humor that informs their daily lives. Little Cliff lives with his great-grandparents, Poppa Joe and Mama Pearl, in a house in the segregated Mississippi Delta of the 1950s. He eagerly awaits Sundays, when Poppa takes him to Greenville, which seems to Cliff “the biggest city in the whole wide world.” Poppa teaches him manners, telling him to stop and talk to the adults who live along their road, but later, when Cliff is sent on his first errand and admonished not to stop along the way by Mama Pearl, he must manage as best he can. He gathers ingredients on the way to buying sweet butter for the candied potatoes Mama Pearl is making. The result is the cooking of a culinary masterpiece, sweet potatoes in just-churned butter with vanilla from New Orleans and nutmeg right off the tree. Each member of the community is authentic and vital, as is the child’s reaction to various dilemmas, including being kissed by an elderly cousin. Lewis’s paintings are homage to a simpler time and a close community; his luxurious watercolors portray houses, landscapes, and a town’s main street lined with beautiful period automobiles. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2174-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
By 1776 the British army had taken control of two key areas, New York City and Long Island Sound. For Hannah, nine, and her family, the troops are a real threat to their community, just across the sound in Fairfield, Connecticut. Hannah’s older brother Ben wants to go join the forces under General Washington, but his father will have none of it at first; when British warships are sighted he reluctantly gives the boy his blessing. For two days the female members of the household spin, weave, and sew suitable clothing; Hannah, who has never been good at domestic duties, is afraid she won’t be able to do her part, but masters her chores. Van Leeuwen makes this story—the first in the Pioneer Daughters trilogy—compelling through the picture of daily life during the era: Everyone does everything that needed to be done, whether they wanted to or not. It’s clear that Hannah has plans beyond the household; her saving of a baby lamb, and the influence of her Granny Hannah, who was a midwife and nurse, indicate that someday she will move on, but meanwhile, there is work to be done for the family’s survival. Her story—especially the details that are usually relegated to sidebars and laundry lists in history books—will entertain and inspire anyone who is interested in the past. (b&w illustrations, not seen, map) (Fiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8037-2335-0
Page Count: 87
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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