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RED HUGH

Name: RED HUGH
Author: Deborah Lisson
ISBN: 0-86278-604-5

by Deborah Lisson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001

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Limey-haters worldwide will crow at this history-based tale of Irish defiance during the reign of that “howling old hag,” that “harridan,” that “old red hag of a queen,” Elizabeth I. Kidnapped by deceitful British, young Hugh spends four long years as a prisoner in Dublin Castle, hearing news of one atrocity after another, beaten and scorned but triumphing in every verbal encounter with his prejudiced, stupid captors, all of whom dress in ridiculous clothes and practice a colorless, denatured religion. In contrast to their corrupt adversaries, the Irish are characterized as loyal, noble-hearted lovers of music and natural beauty, prevented from uniting to throw off their oppressor only by their penchant for internecine “freedom’s quarrels.” Readers not used to Gaelic place and personal names will find the nonstandard dialogue heavy going—“And look at yourself, Hugh Roe—out of fosterage, and dreaming, no doubt, of all the sins you’re going to commit, now you are after escaping the clutches of The Macsweeney Doe”—and the ideological message, capped by Hugh’s repeated, pointed, vows never to forget the wrongs and harms perpetrated by the British, is discomfiting, to say the least. Thanks to some supernatural help, Hugh escapes on his second try, and, as detailed in an afterword, went on to become another prematurely dead Irish hero. It’s an adventuresome tale, but the author uses it to promote an ugly agenda. (Fiction. 11-13)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-86278-604-5

Page Count: 224

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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A YEAR DOWN YONDER

From the Grandma Dowdel series , Vol. 2

by Richard Peck ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2000

Year-round fun.

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Set in 1937 during the so-called “Roosevelt recession,” tight times compel Mary Alice, a Chicago girl, to move in with her grandmother, who lives in a tiny Illinois town so behind the times that it doesn’t “even have a picture show.”

This winning sequel takes place several years after A Long Way From Chicago (1998) leaves off, once again introducing the reader to Mary Alice, now 15, and her Grandma Dowdel, an indomitable, idiosyncratic woman who despite her hard-as-nails exterior is able to see her granddaughter with “eyes in the back of her heart.” Peck’s slice-of-life novel doesn’t have much in the way of a sustained plot; it could almost be a series of short stories strung together, but the narrative never flags, and the book, populated with distinctive, soulful characters who run the gamut from crazy to conventional, holds the reader’s interest throughout. And the vignettes, some involving a persnickety Grandma acting nasty while accomplishing a kindness, others in which she deflates an overblown ego or deals with a petty rivalry, are original and wildly funny. The arena may be a small hick town, but the battle for domination over that tiny turf is fierce, and Grandma Dowdel is a canny player for whom losing isn’t an option. The first-person narration is infused with rich, colorful language—“She was skinnier than a toothpick with termites”—and Mary Alice’s shrewd, prickly observations: “Anybody who thinks small towns are friendlier than big cities lives in a big city.”

Year-round fun. (Fiction. 11-13)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2000

ISBN: 978-0-8037-2518-8

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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THE BEST MAN
by Richard Peck

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THE MOUSE WITH THE QUESTION MARK TAIL
by Richard Peck ; illustrated by Kelly Murphy

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SECRETS AT SEA
by Richard Peck illustrated by Kelly Murphy

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JOEY PIGZA SWALLOWED THE KEY

From the Joey Pigza series , Vol. 1

by Jack Gantos ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1998

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If Rotten Ralph were a boy instead of a cat, he might be Joey, the hyperactive hero of Gantos's new book, except that Joey is never bad on purpose. In the first-person narration, it quickly becomes clear that he can't help himself; he's so wound up that he not only practically bounces off walls, he literally swallows his house key (which he wears on a string around his neck and which he pull back up, complete with souvenirs of the food he just ate). Gantos's straightforward view of what it's like to be Joey is so honest it hurts. Joey has been abandoned by his alcoholic father and, for a time, by his mother (who also drinks); his grandmother, just as hyperactive as he is, abuses Joey while he's in her care. One mishap after another leads Joey first from his regular classroom to special education classes and then to a special education school. With medication, counseling, and positive reinforcement, Joey calms down. Despite a lighthearted title and jacket painting, the story is simultaneously comic and horrific; Gantos takes readers right inside a human whirlwind where the ride is bumpy and often frightening, especially for Joey. But a river of compassion for the characters runs through the pages, not only for Joey but for his overextended mom and his usually patient, always worried (if only for their safety) teachers. Mature readers will find this harsh tale softened by unusual empathy and leavened by genuinely funny events. (Fiction. 11-13)