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ME, MY SISTER, AND I

Name: ME, MY SISTER, AND I
Author: Mary E. Ryan
ISBN: 0-671-73851-8

by Mary E. Ryan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 6, 1992

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Fresh from My Sister Is Driving Me Crazy (1991), eighth- grader Mattie relates the further ordeals of life with twin sister Pru. The girls' once-identical paths take markedly different twists as Pru gets more involved as tambourine player for the rock band Paramedics, while Mattie experiences the awakening of political conscience: she hopes to help her mother's friend Minerva Hightower get elected to city council over slickster Harvey Jenkins, who is using every big-money, down-and- dirty trick in the book. Realistically, he wins; also realistically, Mattie's political concerns don't overshadow her worries about which boy—handsome Cam or brainy Nelson—to ask to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Though this subplot does lapse into sitcom-style high-jinks and absurd jocularity, the twins remain the refreshingly distinct individuals they were in the first book, while the rest of this funny, well-paced novel offers mature insights into the unfolding of civic duty and social responsibility against a vivid backdrop of local politics. (Fiction. 11+)

Pub Date: Oct. 6, 1992

ISBN: 0-671-73851-8

Page Count: 166

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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STEAL AWAY

by Jennifer Armstrong ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1992

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``My heart was going in sixteen different directions. But my body was going North.'' In this subtle, powerful novel, Susannah, a teenage orphan reluctantly transplanted from Vermont to Virginia, and Bethlehem, the slave assigned to her, decide to escape together. The two young women, who alternate as narrators, have very different points of view: to Susannah, teaching her slave to read is merely a project; in leaving her stern uncle's farm, she runs only the risk of being brought back. For Bethlehem, both the reading and the running are deadly dangerous—but the potential rewards are beyond price. Working together despite the gulf between them (after they watch a battered group of stolen slaves shuffle past, Bethlehem reacts fiercely: ``You don't know,'' she says through tears, ``you can't ever know''), the two forge a bond that lasts even after they go their separate ways, one to a comfortable life in Vermont, the other to a teaching career in Toronto. Decades later, they are reunited in Bethlehem's slum apartment, where she is on her deathbed, and tell their story to two young counterparts: Susannah's naive granddaughter, and Bethlehem's angry nurse. In the telling, the strong cast reacts and interacts in complex ways, each forced to consider new ideas and reexamine memories and preconceptions. A distinctive tale of courage and sacrifice, with no glib lessons or easy resolutions but a memorable portrait of a soul for whom freedom is the greatest prize. (Fiction. 11-15)

Pub Date: March 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-531-05983-9

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Orchard

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
ONCE UPON A BANANA
by Jennifer Armstrong & illustrated by David Small

- BOOK REVIEW
THE AMERICAN STORY
by Jennifer Armstrong & illustrated by Roger Roth

- BOOK REVIEW
MAGNUS AT THE FIRE
by Jennifer Armstrong & illustrated by Owen Smith

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THE FRIENDSHIP SONG

by Nancy Springer ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1992

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An established author of adult fantasy, who has also written realistic stories and a well received fantasy for young people (Red Wizard, 1990), tells a tale inspired by the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Harper and her father move in with an artist, Gus, who is soon to be her stepmother. Gus has a strange affinity to the spirit world; she creates art from a collection of junk that fills and surrounds her huge old house, where a powerful force frightens Harper and prevents her from going into the yard. Meanwhile, Harper becomes acquainted with Rawnie, who shares her love for ``The Friendship Song'' and the rock group ``Neon Shadow.'' Rawnie helps Harper survive at her new school; she also joins Harper in trying to locate the weird music emanating from Gus's backyard. Though skinheads interrupt their budding interracial friendship, they become reconciled in time to attend a concert where Neon Shadow star Nico collapses. Crossing into the spirit world at Gus's prompting, Harper and Rawnie find Nico with a ghostly band of great rock stars and try to persuade him to live. Back in the real world once more, they learn that Nico really is recovering. Though this complex, well-written story may have trouble finding its level—sixth-grader Harper is younger than most potential readers—the blend of realism with the supernatural and is well handled, and of course the rock-star element has appeal. (Fiction. 11+)