Beth @ Bellevue's Recent Archive

Donny Bailey Seagraves' story of eleven year old Daniel Sartain, chronicles a family torn asunder. Daniel's family has been in pain for awhile--several years before, his father was the driver in the car accident that killed Daniel's grandparents. Since then his Uncle Clay and his father have been at odds, and his father has developed a drinking problem. Uncle Clay has slipped into the role of a loving surrogate father, but that all ends one November day, when the two of them go rabbit hunting. Purely by accident, Daniel's gun goes off, killing Clay. The remainder of the book is the story of hisstruggle through the grief process and the results for his family. Interwoven throughout all daniel's thoughts are comments (in conversation form) from his Uncle Clay. The book comes o a tense climax, when Daniel finds his gun (hidden away since the tragedy) and goes out into the woods to commit suicide. While there is a "happier" resolution, it is somewhat pat. The author, however, grapples successfully with several BIG issues: gun safety, alcoholism, grief, suicide, therapy, and dysfunctional families. Her writing maintains the tension well and she, for the most part, realistic in her portrayal of this family in crisis.

While this is a well-written, thoughtful book, it doesn't have that extra "something" to put it on my Newbery contender list.

Rating: 4 of 5

To suggest other titles to the committee, please email newberysuggestions@kcls.org .

 

In this fantasy tale moved forward through the use of folktales, author Grace Lin has crafted

 the story of Minli, a young girl who lives in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, with her mother (Ma)& father (Ba). The world around her is dingy and difficult, full of struggle and disatisfaction. To her mother's annoyance, Minli's father spins fantastic tales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man in the Moon (who is a sort of Wizard of Oz-like, wish-granting character) to make their meager existence seem a little less harsh. These stories inspire Minli to go on a quest to ask the Old Man in the Moon to change her family's fortunes. On her way she befriends a dragon (who wants to be able to fly) and encounters all sorts of magical creatures and situations. The quest broadens to include her mother and father, who set out after her. All along the way, lessons are learned in that way of a good folk tale--not didactic hits on the head, but many "a-ha" moments that leave the reader nodding and saying "Of course!"

The author was inspired by traditional Chinese folktales and the narrative is spun sparely, yet effectively, creating an almost seamless flow between the personal situations and the fantastical explanations, arriving at a satisfying conclusion appropriate to the style of the story. As with all good folk literature, this story spans all ages and speaks a universal message.

Rating: 4.75 ot of 5

To suggest other titles to the committee, please email newberysuggestions@kcls.org .

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It's 1969. It's Massapequa, New York. The Vietnam War is on the nightly news.  Men are getting ready to step onto the moon for the first time. Her best friend is gone, without a trace, and ten year old Tammy is ticked off. Aroooo! To top it all off, Muscle Man (Douglas) McGinty, the worst liar in the world, is now living with her friend's former foster "grandma" and none of the neighborhood gang can see how awful he is. He tells them he's in training for the Munich Olympics--they believe him! He tells them he can beat them at kickball--him against all of  them--and they keep cutting him slack. He says that Neil Armstrong is his uncle--Oh Please! But when he says that he can get a letter to her friend through his connections at the Foster Care program, Tammy gives it a try, with frustrating and enlightening results...

First-time author Nan Marino has created a story that will resonate with kids and adults alike, showing a time period spilling over with real kids, real situations, real heartache, and real growth. With a deft hand, she has the reader rooting for the "good" guy and the "bad" guy, and showing us, wisely, that there's a bit of both in all of us.

 This book is a keeper and a Newbery contender!

Rating: 5 out of 5

To suggest other titles to the committee, please email newberysuggestions@kcls.org .

Carolina Harmony by Marilyn Taylor McDowell is the tale of a young girl--a runaway--who is

hiding out on a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The story weaves back and forth and the reader learns that Carolina's parents and baby brother died in a tragic car accident, that her "Auntie" Shen (no relation) took her in for a time then became ill and was hospitalized, thus forcing Carolina into the unfortunate foster care system in place where she lived. Unable to stand it, she heads out, has many adventures, and eventually meets up & stays with Miss Latah & Mr. Ray, who farm the land & teach Carolina to trust again, eventually getting her to open up about her roots and herself. The story is set in 1964, a time when there was beginning to be a meshing of tradional and modern ideas and values in this rural, mountain setting.

The characters and places are well-crafted, though the action and timing are a bit stilted. I also found some of the "motivations"  unclear at times. The author shows her love for the mountain people and captured this transitional period well. She is particularly knowledgable about the locations and plants that she describes--not usually  high on the list of things that younger readers look for in a book...

It is a nicely written first book, but I would not say it has all the elements needed in a Newbery contender.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5

newberysuggestion@kcls.org

Imagine staying in a rustic cabin, off and on, with your Gran, away out on a remote island in British Columbia--where all the other kids are, unfortunately, either teenagers or babies! That's how our heroine finds herself in Becca at Sea, by Deirdre Baker. While Becca's mom is expecting a new baby brother or sister, our main character goes to visit on the island and each chapter is an unfolding of adventures with quirky characters--either family or friends. On her first night there, Gran hauls her out in the dark to harvest oysters and in one shell she discovers 17 pearls! It is a foreshadowing of the unexpected treasured times to come. The adventures continue: dealing with a sinking dinghy, kissing a seal, skinny dipping, sailing a boat for the first time, swimming all the way round the island. But the story is also about learning to deal with her outspoken relatives and about finding new friends in unforeseen places. In the end Becca gains confidence in herself, insights into her family, and a new baby sister, who she christens "Pinny." Becca's character grows as she deals with the other "characters" she encounters. A gentle, episodic journey, with just enough spunk.

Becca at Sea shares a series of realistic glimpses about growing up, that make the reader want to know what happens once the last page has been read. While it doesn't have huge ups & downs or revelations, it stays with you after you put it down.

Rating: 4 out of 5

  newberysuggestions@kcls.org  .

Over the course of a year on a contemporary Vermont farm, author Julia Alvarez weaves a story of right and wrong, friends and foes, home and hiding, death and dreams. Grandpa has just died, Dad has been injured in a farming accident, and life's looking more than a little rocky from Tyler's perspective. In order to be able to keep their farm afloat while his dad heals, the decision is made to hire three Mexican migrant workers. With the farm hands comes a surprise--one of the men has a wife and three young daughters. Mari, the eldest daughter, is Tyler's age and is in his class at school (even though she is an illegal alien). They form a tenuous  (at first) friendship, complicated by her "undocumented" status.

Told alternately from Tyler's point of view and through letters that Mari writes to significant people in her life, it presents the complications and hardships of those who struggle in the U.S. to try to help those they've left behind and of those who become involved in their lives (willingly or coincidentally). This is a topic that is often in the headlines and hotly debated and the author tells the story with understanding from the various points of view concerned. Mari is a particularly effective character. The chapter titles are wonderfully telling, showing the progress of relationships on the farm as the year moves through the seasons and trials of the characters' lives.

The characters (Tyler's Grandma and her friend are gems, and Mari's mother--held for ransom by the "coyotes"--is quite bravely portrayed) and subject matter are Newbery-worthy; it is an excellent effort in most respects, though I sometimes was bogged down by the length of Mari's letters and the third person point of view used in the Tyler segments. The title was enlightening--"Return to Sender" refers to the message that is attached to the records of illegal aliens that are returned to their country of origin. A very good selection.    

Rating: 4 out of 5

To suggest other titles to the committee, please email newberysuggestions@kcls.org.

The Cuckoo's Haiku and Other Birding Poems  by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Stan Fellows is a collection of poems about 24 different birds throughout a year. The spare text is thoughtfully chosen, capturing the essence of each individual bird in its natural habitat. The reader is given a joyful notebook of discoveries, melding poetry, illustration, and facts! It is marketed as a volume for young children, but it easily transcends age boundaries, and can be read on many levels: the casual glance, the head-scratching re-read, and the a-ha moment, when the reader personalizes the poem. One of my favorites: "the pond's still airstrip, far-off trumpets grow louder--, one splash, two...hushed...glides..." (Canada geese).

Will it get a Newbery nod? Probably not, due to its brevity, but it is a marvelously constructed surprise package that begs to be shared.

Rating: 4 out of 5

To suggest other titles to the committee, please email newberysuggestions@kcls.org .

In this story, simply told from the perspective of Abraham Lincoln's youngest surviving sons, Willie and Tad, Rosemary Wells manages to include small historical references and explanations to show a different, personal, and fatherly side of our 16th President. The book is divided by time periods and "players": Willie: 1859, Willie & Tad: 1861, and Tad: 1862-1865. In very few words the author manages to convey the essence of the Lincoln household (before and during the presidency) and the historic time period. The illustrations by P. J. Lynch (The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey) capture the tremendous love between Lincoln and his young sons, as do the simple but telling scenes that the author has chosen to share. It is based in well researched details, but does not come across as "schoolish." 

It is not a flashy book, but in this year of many books celebrating Lincoln, it touches a chord that young people will find affecting. Written for the younger end of the Newbery age range, I'm not sure it would have the overall appeal to be a winner.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5