Kirkus Reviews QR Code
THE GREEN BOTTLE AND THE SILVER KITE by Fredericka Berger

THE GREEN BOTTLE AND THE SILVER KITE

by Fredericka Berger

Pub Date: May 27th, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-11785-6
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Ten-year-old Phil's dearest wish is a Mylar kite: If he didn't have to share it with persistent sister Maggie (seven) or the boring neighbor kids, it would help his imagination soar. Still, Dad's idea that he earn its price is out: this is vacation. Instead, Phil puts a note into a bottle and requests that the finder send the needed $14.95. Flung into the ocean near their New Jersey summer home, it elicits a reply from Meredith, who asks, ``Have you tried working?'' and who confides her hope for a friend. By that time, Phil is scraping the cellar door for $1.50 an hour, but the real drama here is found in the subtly developing relationships among the children, especially Phil and Maggie, whose basic affection is complicated by sibling friction that Phil perpetuates even while yearning to make peace. Maggie's machinations also backfire—she meddles with Phil's correspondence in hopes of finding a friend her age, but nice Meredith's even older than Phil. Still, talking with her helps Phil think through some of his worries, while her sensible presence acts as a healthy catalyst for them all. By the time Phil earns the kite, he also merits Dad's praise (``You've done a lot of growing up this summer''); and he's willing to have the others share its first flight—even Maggie. An unusually perceptive, well-crafted portrait of likable kids who really care about learning to get along with each other. (Fiction. 9-12)