The setting—1927 in a Southern small town—matches the old-fashioned feel of this quiet story of loss and hope. Twelve-year-old Carissa lives in poverty with her widowed mother. Bailey’s arrival on a bright blue bicycle changes their lives for the better. An elderly man, he’s willing to work hard for a bit of food and a place to stay. An archetypal wise elder, Bailey teaches Carissa to ride his bike, tells her about his travels, and offers moral tales to help her and her family face some unpleasant truths and reconcile their differences. Carissa’s recognition of Bailey’s essential goodness is immediate, but contemporary readers might be more wary and feel that he’s too good to be true. In addition, Bailey’s assertion that Carissa can accomplish whatever she wants isn’t entirely convincing given the honest picture of the racism and oppression of the day that Dudley presents. The slow pace of the plot and Dudley’s use of dialect for some of the characters may further lessen the book’s appeal. Honest but not especially engaging. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-54233-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2005
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stenhouse continues his story begun in Across the Steel River (not reviewed) with another mystery laced with tones of racial bias and starring the same two boys, Will, who’s white, and Arthur, a Blackfoot Indian. The title holds double meaning: “deed,” as in an action, in this case one against decency, justice, and the Indian people of a small Canadian town on Alberta’s prairies. The other meaning, a title to land ownership, here refers to that deeded to an Indian during WWI by the most powerful, cruel, and unjust white man in town, “old man Howe.” Now, during the Korean War in 1952, Howe will stop at nothing to retrieve the document that has passed to other generations of the original deed-holder’s family. Told in the first person, the adventure-mystery speeds along as the town, its inhabitants, its setting, and history are revealed. Howe controls the Mounties, the town’s business, and a gang of thugs who do his bidding, often cruel and physically destructive to those who oppose him. The too-large cast weaves in and out of Will’s narrative and relationships become hazy. Throughout, Will and Arthur meet with near-escapes, but there are so many cliffhangers that it stretches reader credulity. The latter is especially so, given the uncertain duration of the endless action, which may cover only a few days and nights. A good many unexplained incidents also occur and may leave a reader unclear about them as real experiences or as mere figments of Will’s dreams. Despite a very active plot that portrays the degradation of Canada’s first People, Stenhouse tries to do too much and, as a result, fails. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 1-55337-360-X
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2003
Koertge (Brimstone Journals, 2001, etc.) joins the ever-swelling ranks of writers experimenting with novels-in-verse with this journal of a teenaged jock who develops a taste for writing poetry while laid up with mono. Confined to the house, and mostly to bed, Kevin starts sneaking peeks into a prosody manual of his father’s, and trying his hand at different poetic forms, from haiku (“Frogs, frogs, frogs, frogs, frogs / Frogs, frogs, frogs, frogs, frogs, frogs, frogs, / Frogs, frogs, frogs, frogs, leaves”), sonnet, and pantoum (look it up), to ballad, sestina, blank and free verse. He discovers along the way that he likes the way poetry focuses language, and also makes it easier to express feelings—particularly about the loss of his mother. Reflectively tracking his slow recovery, Kevin also chronicles his struggle to regain a place in his baseball team’s starting lineup, and a developing relationship with Mira, a new friend who doesn’t laugh off his literary efforts. In the end, although his life is reshaped by his long illness, the future (except on the playing field) still looks bright. Kevin’s mix of lame and not-so-lame poems effectively convey realistic learning and recovery curves—and may also plant the idea in receptive readers that it’s okay for guys to write. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-7636-2116-1
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2003
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