Dark, medieval superstitions haunt the people of a French town in 1559. Marius’s little brother, Jean-Pierre, was born on Christmas Eve, and the townsfolk believe that all such children will become werewolves. Told from the viewpoint of the 12-year-old Marius, the story personalizes an intense moment in history when medieval forces reacted violently against the coming Reformation. Marius struggles with the constant task of protecting his six-year-old brother whom he knows the people will eventually attack; yet he also wants to begin his apprenticeship with his father as a blacksmith. He later learns that his father can read and has become a Huguenot, one damned as a heretic by the Catholic Church. Already hesitant to accept the town’s beliefs about evil, he begins to understand the true evil of superstition and repression when his father is captured and burned at the stake. Readers expecting a werewolf story will find a far more realistic and frightening tale that offers an intriguing counterpoint to the well-trod horror genre. Here the evil is not the supernatural, but fear of it. This brief tale works as an excellent, exciting introduction to a turbulent period in history. An afterword ties the real history of the period to the fictional story, with a bibliography for further reading. (Fiction. 9-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-7868-0547-1
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2000
Making a fine bid for the late Patricia Beatty's territory, Mazzio (The One Who Came Back, 1992) depicts a feisty turn-of- the-century girl making her way after her prospector dad leaves her in New Mexico and sets out for the Yukon. In letters addressed to her recently deceased mother, Maude, 14, describes her difficulties: penniless, hungry, cold, and in rags, she finds that just getting clean enough to qualify for work at the local hotel is a major struggle. Though Mrs. Steckler, her employer, is hard and unsympathetic, she treats Maude better than she does Annie, an Apache girl she has raised like a slave. Maude has much to learn, especially about the ``soiled doves'' who are allotted their own shopping hours so that proper folks won't encounter them; meanwhile, she's pressured to marry a nice but taciturn farmer twice her age, but yearns to realize her artistic talent instead. Good luck and Maude's honesty, generosity, and determination all contribute to the satisfying outcome—achieved after the foiling of a vicious attack on Annie, an unjust accusation from Mrs. Steckler, a heroic rescue by Maude, and a final surprise enabling the girls to depart together. A spirited adventure with deftly drawn characters, well-integrated period details, a lively and sharply focused style, and a memorable heroine. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-395-64381-3
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1993
BOOK REVIEW
In 1852, Jericho Wetherby, 12, and his family set off for Texas—where Pa's long been hankering to settle. After Uncle Dan writes that he has land they can buy, they stay in Tennessee just long enough to help Grandma bring in the harvest. Then, trying to outrace winter, they keep up a brutal pace, with Jericho walking most of the way, through rain and mud, frost and snow. They cross rivers by ferry and terrifyingly teetery bridges and suffer fevers, toll collectors, and skinflint storekeepers; meanwhile, Jericho meets many different sorts of people, grows in courage and self-assurance, and learns to play a fiddle he finds along the trail. The book has the same strengths and weaknesses as Wisler's earlier novels (e.g., Piper's Ferry, 1990): the characters remain a bit sketchy, but this fast-paced, action-packed pioneer story has believable, well-researched episodes and, in Jericho, a likable narrator with a consistent voice. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-525-67428-4
Page Count: 138
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1993
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