LIKE THE LION'S TOOTH

by Marjorie Kellogg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1972

More, or perhaps appropriately only a mite-sized more, of those sad pleasures of Junie Moon as in brief and undeveloped snatches this phases in and out of the young lives of a group of children, abused or abandoned to children's shelters or foster homes or just the vaguely custodial protection of an institution. Whether it's Madeline, very motherly, since her rape by her father at the age of seven; or Julie, looking for ""The Man"" since her mother became psychotic; or, and primarily, Ben, one of a dutch of children dragged from one tenement to another as his mother tries to hide from her sailor husband with a very heavy hand -- broken bones send Ben to the hospital once. Finally he's sent away to this so-called home and Philip, the autistic brother who depends on him altogether, joins him and precipitates the closing tragedy. . . . This is neither as arresting nor as original nor as touchingly lacerating as the first book; out of kindness to the author let us assume that out of kindness to the reader she has not amplified any of it sufficiently -- her youngsters are as quickly forgotten as they were in the real world.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1972

Categories: FICTION