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THE BARN BURNER

Name: THE BARN BURNER
Author: Patricia Willis
ISBN: 0-395-98409-2

by Patricia Willis ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 17, 2000

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In this compelling, well-written historical novel, peopled with beautifully realized characters, Willis (Danger Along the Ohio, 1997, etc.) explores the themes of finding oneself, of friendship, and of the true meaning of family and home. Set in Ohio in 1933, it tells of 14-year-old Ross Cooper, who has seemingly been banished from home after a violent confrontation with his abusive father. Awakening one morning in a burning barn, Ross is seen running from the blaze by two men and is naturally assumed to be the perpetrator. Worse still, he believes he will thus be suspected in a series of mysterious barn burnings that have recently beset the region. On the road once again, he meets a kind family, the Warfields. After helping them push their heavily laden cart out of a muddy rut, he is invited to stay with them. At first Ross demurs, but he soon realizes the offer provides a welcome way for him to experience family life again and to hide while he attempts to root out the real criminal. The novel thus seamlessly takes on the elements of a mystery. With the help of newfound friends and his new family, who believe in his innocence and have grown to love him, Ross eventually—albeit unwittingly at first—uncovers the identity of the true arsonist. This is a terrifying scene as he and the younger Warfield children almost perish in yet another fire set by the man. Readers will long remember this scene as well as the heart-wrenching decision that Ross makes at the conclusion of the novel. Worthy. (Fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: April 17, 2000

ISBN: 0-395-98409-2

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
DANGER ALONG THE OHIO
by Patricia Willis

- BOOK REVIEW
OUT OF THE STORM
by Patricia Willis

- BOOK REVIEW
A PLACE TO CLAIM AS HOME
by Patricia Willis

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THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING

by Shelley Pearsall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 8, 2015

Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

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Traumatized by his father’s recent death, a boy throws a brick at an old man who collects junk in his neighborhood and winds up on probation working for him.

Pearsall bases the book on a famed real work of folk art, the Throne of the Third Heaven, by James Hampton, a janitor who built his work in a garage in Washington, D.C., from bits of light bulbs, foil, mirrors, wood, bottles, coffee cans, and cardboard—the titular seven most important things. In late 1963, 13-year-old Arthur finds himself looking for junk for Mr. Hampton, who needs help with his artistic masterpiece, begun during World War II. The book focuses on redemption rather than art, as Hampton forgives the fictional Arthur for his crime, getting the boy to participate in his work at first reluctantly, later with love. Arthur struggles with his anger over his father’s death and his mother’s new boyfriend. Readers watch as Arthur transfers much of his love for his father to Mr. Hampton and accepts responsibility for saving the art when it becomes endangered. Written in a homespun style that reflects the simple components of the artwork, the story guides readers along with Arthur to an understanding of the most important things in life.

Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates. (Historical fiction. 10-14)