Orlev, Uri The Song of the Whales

Orlev, Uri The Song of the Whales
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2010 108p 16.00
978-0-547-25752-5 ms Realistic Fiction E-BN
Mikha'el discovers that his paternal grandfather Raphael has a like soul. Happy in this new and blooming connection, he is able to join his grandfather in the old man’s dreams and share in many adventures and escapes. Beautifully and sensitively written, the lovely relationship between grandchild and grandfather is a lovely thing expressed in simple evocative language.
Uri Orlev’s young protagonist Michael has never been able to relate to children of his own age. He has been much more comfortable in the company of older adults in his New York City neighborhood. When his self-absorbed parents decide to immigrate to Israel, he is removed from his personal comfort zone and transplanted to a new world. Now known as Mikha'el, he discovers that his paternal grandfather Raphael has a similar soul. Happy with this new and blooming connection, he is able to join his grandfather in the old man’s dreams and share in many adventures and escapes. Mikha'el is always surprised when he awakens and discovers that the adventures are not real. As Raphael ages and becomes more infirm, he hints through the dream sequences that he will not always be there and his visions begin to prepare the boy for his final ending. Raphael bequeaths his special gift to the boy as his final benediction. Beautifully and sensitively written, the lovely relationship between grandchild and grandfather is a lovely thing expressed in simple evocative language. The writing is thoughtful, yet not overladen with sentimentality and will appeal to the reader on many different levels.
Highly recommended for middle school libraries. Ogintz, Susan