The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are some books that you devour - you read through them at a lightning pace, racing toward the end; there are some books you plod through, slogging through to the end just because of some sense of obligation; there are still other books that you start and abandon, lured on by something else more appealing. And then there are books that you pick up and put down and pick up and put down, not because they aren't appealing or motivating, but because the feelings that well up in you when you read them can overwhelm you on a bad day - or even on a good day. This was, for me, one of those last kind.

For me, many Australian writers have a stronger sense of family than American writers. I am not sure why, perhaps it is only in my own mind. But this book is chock full of examples. Little turns of phrases, gestures, plot elements - they all add up to a very powerful account of the importance of family, and, in this case, also friends. This is a love story about friendship and family - and how they deal with grief.

Years ago, two friends of mine died - one through suicide, the other by murder. Both were an extreme shock to me. I guess you never really come to terms with either. This book deals with two family deaths - one through terrorism, the other through war. And it is a painful journey for them.

It also deals with the complications of relationships - the death of one form of the relationship and then the much more hopeful rebuilding of them. It is this latter aspect that gives hope for the dealing with the deaths.

There are a lot of characters in the story - almost too many to really care about. But each of the glimpses into other characters does add depth to the understanding of family and friends. None are unnecessary distractions. The novel is expertly crafted.

The only question I would have is whether it should be pitched at young adult or as adult fiction. It is certainly aimed at least at the older end of the young adult spectrum. It isn't that it is too risqué for younger YA, but more that they won't get it. The things that are most powerful about the book, the deft turns of phrase, the subtle orchestration of interactions, the ambiguous feelings - these will likely be missed by the young YAs, looking for action and adventure. I have a similar feeling about the book The Giver by Lois Lowry. It can be, and often is, read by children as young as 4th or 5th graders (9 - 11 years old), but there are certain aspects of the book that simply won't have their full power until the reader is a bit older - at least in puberty. This book seems to require that the reader know about loving relationships - their power and, at times, their fragility. Perhaps you can find that in younger children, but not often.
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Review: In The Sea There Are Crocodiles: Based On The True Story Of Enaiatollah Akbari

In The Sea There Are Crocodiles: Based On The True Story Of Enaiatollah Akbari by Fabio Geda

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This impressive account is simply, but compellingly told. I enjoyed reading it, although it does detail many difficult and horrible events.

On greater reflection, I was thinking about the difference of what happens to young boys in danger of the Taliban to what happens to young girls. A girl could not have made it all the way to Italy. It would be more likely for a young girl to have been subject to some sort of gender-based compulsory service, either through marriage at a young age or sold into sexual slavery, similarly to the tale told in Patricia McCormick's Sold. There is hope in this story, the one about Enaiatollah, but we have to remember that it was told by the boy who made it - not by the several who died along the way or who suffered other dismal fates. There is less hope in Sold, but even there, some of the young women escape. Somehow the sexual slavery is worse to me, but I am a woman, so perhaps that is why I react so strongly to that.

Either way, both books make a contribution to knowledge about a part of the world that Americans now know more about than in previous decades, due to our military efforts there, but which we still don't understand.
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Review: When I Wore My Sailor Suit

When I Wore My Sailor Suit by Uri Shulevitz

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I know I should probably like this better than 3 stars, but I didn't, actually. The problem is that the book started out as though it was going to be a grand adventure and then it seemingly, rather abruptly switched into an explanation of a childhood fear and how it was eventually overcome. It makes sense and the idea is good, but felt like two different books to me. The adventure part seemed like something fun, that was horribly interrupted by the childhood fear part - which is probably the intention of the author. As an adult thing, it works, but, from a child's perspective, I am not sure it would. I get the sense that kids would feel that part of the story was missing - the enjoyment of the adventure. But, perhaps, I underestimate young children. It would be interesting to me to hear what children think about the story.



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New Yorker Cartoons of the Year: Over 250 Cartoons From 2011 by Editors And Various Contributors of The New Yorker Magazine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have a large collection of cartoons and welcome this one as a worthy addition to the collection. Some really good ones here.
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Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book. Some of the things I especially liked, in addition to the Castle itself, were the relationships among the children. It was enjoyable to see how much they supported each other, drew on each others' strengths and worked around each others' weaknesses.
I think this would make a good middle grades read-aloud.
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Paul Vier und die Schröders by Andreas Steinhöfel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From the cover of the various editions of this book and from the descriptions of it on Amazon and Goodreads, I was expecting a light, humorous young teen story - the kind where these comical people move into a neighborhood, causing all sort of problems, but eventually everything is worked out and everyone becomes friends. This is exactly NOT what actually happens. The story is much more serious than I expected and has much more depth.

I listened to this story in German and, although my German isn't perfect, I think I understood most of it. I may have missed some of the more humorous turns of phrases, but the book isn't actually funny. The themes - prejudice, acceptance of violence toward those we don't like/understand, and hypocrisy - are both universal and specific.

Very worthwhile. I may actually listen to it again, so that I get a bit more of the language nuances.
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The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
OK, I'll admit it: I cheated a little on this one. I skimmed pretty much the last half of the book. But I had just finished A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. The problem is, the writing in this book is just average, and the themes are similar and, well, A Monster Calls is simply better.
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