bookshelf

OUT OF THE DARK

Name: OUT OF THE DARK
Author: Welwyn Wilton Katz
ISBN: 0-689-80947-6

by Welwyn Wilton Katz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 1996

bookshelf

Katz (Come Like Shadows, 1993, etc.) mixes Viking mythology with the unlikely setting of a small coastal village in Newfoundland in this heartwarming tale about a family's struggle through grief. Ben, 13, his brother Keith, and their father move from Ottawa to Ship Cove after Ben's mother is murdered. Although Ben's father hopes the small town will nurture his sons' as well as his own spirits, village gossip, xenophobia, and even the local accent prove difficult for Ben to overcome. He turns to the hobby he shared with his mother—wood-carving—and builds a magnificent miniature Viking ship. Interspersed with scenes of Ben carving and avoiding the village boys are the myths of Viking adventure the family, as a group, had always enjoyed, and that continue to inspire Ben. When Ben's ship (named Frances, for his mother) sails, the brothers confront one another, ultimately forgiving each another and strengthening their bond. Katz's portrayal of the boys' relationship is dead-on accurate: Underneath the fights and name-calling there's the resilience of brotherly devotion. With the macho Viking tales and the emphasis on brotherhood, there may be a temptation to label this a book for boys, but few readers will not gain from this clear-eyed and encouraging tale of a family's love and survival. (Fiction. 11-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996

ISBN: 0-689-80947-6

Page Count: 176

Publisher: McElderry

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1996

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

bookshelf

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

by John Boyne ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2006

Certain to provoke controversy and difficult to see as a book for children, who could easily miss the painful point.

bookshelf

After Hitler appoints Bruno’s father commandant of Auschwitz, Bruno (nine) is unhappy with his new surroundings compared to the luxury of his home in Berlin.

The literal-minded Bruno, with amazingly little political and social awareness, never gains comprehension of the prisoners (all in “striped pajamas”) or the malignant nature of the death camp. He overcomes loneliness and isolation only when he discovers another boy, Shmuel, on the other side of the camp’s fence. For months, the two meet, becoming secret best friends even though they can never play together. Although Bruno’s family corrects him, he childishly calls the camp “Out-With” and the Fuhrer “Fury.” As a literary device, it could be said to be credibly rooted in Bruno’s consistent, guileless characterization, though it’s difficult to believe in reality. The tragic story’s point of view is unique: the corrosive effect of brutality on Nazi family life as seen through the eyes of a naïf. Some will believe that the fable form, in which the illogical may serve the objective of moral instruction, succeeds in Boyne’s narrative; others will believe it was the wrong choice.

Certain to provoke controversy and difficult to see as a book for children, who could easily miss the painful point. (Fiction. 12-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2006

ISBN: 0-385-75106-0

Page Count: 224

Publisher: David Fickling/Random

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2006

Categories:

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ELEMENTS
by John Boyne

- BOOK REVIEW
ALL THE BROKEN PLACES
by John Boyne

- BOOK REVIEW
A TRAVELER AT THE GATES OF WISDOM
by John Boyne

- SEEN & HEARD
Author in Twitter Feud with Auschwitz Museum

- SEEN & HEARD
‘Boy in the Striped Pajamas’ Sequel in the Works

bookshelf

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS

From the Girl of Fire and Thorns series , Vol. 1

by Rae Carson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2011

Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...

bookshelf

Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.

Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra, but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra—can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.

Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel, reminiscent of Naomi Kritzer's Fires of the Faithful (2002), keeps this entry fresh. (Fantasy. 12-14)