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A LITTLE EXCITEMENT by Marc Harshman

A LITTLE EXCITEMENT

By

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 1989
ISBN: 1891852213
Publisher: Cobblehill/Dutton

During the midwinter doldrums on a remote farm, Willie is weary of his sisters' ganging up on him and wishes for something to happen. He gets more than he'd hoped; a chimney fire that involves the whole family in a midnight battle to save their house before the volunteer fireman, along with other neighbors, arrive to help and stay on for talk and food--""better than Thanksgiving."" Though poet Harshman narrates smoothly, Willie's concluding insight that ""maybe my fussing had earned me some of [my sisters'] bossing"" isn't really justified by what has happened. But Rand's realistic paintings are wonderfully evocative of the winter farm; his depiction of the blazing chimney and the effort to quench the fire have the drama the text lacks. A genuine, attractively produced piece of Americana.