Brouwer, Sigmund. Devil’s Pass. (Seven, the Series)

Brouwer, Sigmund.  Devil’s Pass. (Seven, the Series)  

Orca  237p  $9.95 978-1-55469-938-4   2012      ms/jr        VG        Conflict         

Webb has already left home with his guitar and very little else.  His home had become an inferno, especially after his mother married Elliot.  The threats and the fear he felt for his mother’s safety made it impossible for Webb to continue living in a house where his every move was monitored, and if he even looked at Elliot the wrong way his mother always had to pay a price.  Then his grandfather dies, and Webb discovers that as his last request, his grandfather has set up a quest for each of his grandchildren to fulfill.  For Webb this is almost heaven sent!  It would have been nicer to carry out the quest alongside his grandfather, but at least Webb now has a plan and a reason to move on.  The trip he takes becomes a coming-of-age trip in which he faces dangers, truths, and moments that imperil his life, but he manages to stay on track to uncover the truth behind a mystery his grandfather left unsolved.  

     

Canada–Fiction, Grandfathers–Fiction, Abusive behavior-Fiction   

                                                            --Magna Diaz

Gleitzman, Morris. Now.

Gleitzman, Morris.      Now.  Macmillan/Henry Holt    184p  $16.99     

978-0-8050-9378-0       ms/hs       VG-BN       Realistic fiction

In this novel, the third in his series of books about Felix (Once) and about Felix and Zelda (Then), Morris Gleitzman combines several techniques to present the themes of forgiveness, discovering one’s purpose in life, and survival.  To accomplish his goals in Now, Gleitzman uses the powerful imagery of a fire in the Australian bush, first-person point of view in the voice of Felix’s grandchild, and parallel-plot events that aptly draw the three books of the series together.  It is helpful if the reader has read the first two books, only because he or she will truly understand the horrors that Felix experienced years before, during the Holocaust, and will appreciate how resourceful he became while he was in hiding during the war.  In fact, the reader can begin with any of the books in the series, especially with Then, return to read Once, and not lose oneself in the sequence of events. 

To briefly summarize, the reader finds himself in the present day watching Felix and his granddaughter Zelda meet up in Australia because Zelda’s parents are in Africa practicing medicine.  Zelda becomes the victim of bullies at school when she brags about her family, and the bullying escalates in the early chapters.  Felix attempts to save her even though he was unable to save her predecessor (the original Zelda) in Then, this time from bullying, from missing her parents and finally, from a raging fire.  To tell more would be a disservice; readers need to read all three books for their message about life and survival, as well as about death and the destructive things that people do to each other.  This book brings the series full circle with a twist of events that is perfect.

Middle-school and high-school readers will find the journey through this trilogy to be worth the time.  In fact, readers of all ages will find life lessons here.

–- Martha Squaresky

Survival – Fiction, Grandfathers – Fiction, Realistic fiction    

Smith, Lane. Grandpa Green.

Smith, Lane.  Grandpa Green.  Roaring Brook Press see Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, 2011.  $16.99  ISBN 9781596436077     elem  E-BN  Misc.

     This is a beautiful tribute to an extraordinary grandfather, told through the vision of a topiary garden, and it is a fun book to read with your children or grandchildren.   The book will take you through the life of a grandfather who was born before computers, cell phones and television sets; who grew up on a farm and got all the childhood illnesses; who read the classics, but most of all enjoyed horticultural activities. He had wanted to study horticulture, but life took over and he did other things instead, all the while practicing cutting his trees and bushes.
     This beautifully illustrated story is told by the great-grandson who shows us his vision of a beautiful garden where the story unfolds.
     Not a lot of color is used, but the colors of green and red and sometimes gold are used very strategically to help tell the story and take us through the whole history of this very much beloved great-grandfather. It is a story you will want to read many times over with your children, grandchildren and maybe even great-grandchildren.                 

Subjects: 1. Grandfathers - Fiction.  2. Gardens -- Fiction

Magna Diaz

 

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