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1997
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (Atheneum,
$12.80, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 068980993X. The Medalist A paraplegic teacher leads her team of sixth-graders to a
state championship in an academic pentathlon, overcoming a
school and community tradition of low self-esteem. The stories of the four kids, who call themselves the
Souls, are interwoven in strange fashion. It's as though
fate had conspired to draw these children together, using
them to serve a higher purpose. The kids, only slowly, come
to realize how special their relationships are. How's this for fate? The first time I used this book in a
classroom, I was training a sixth-grade academic pentathlon
team from a large but unsuccessful school. The kids said the
book starts too slowly, mainly because they don't seem the
looming connections between the characters. However, once the connections become evident, thanks to
Konigsburg's marvelous narrative, the kids thoroughly
enjoyed reading the novel. This story provides very positive statement about
success and hard work and civility. This is a mature work
with very few spare words. A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer (Orchard Books,
$15.96, sixth-grade level). ISBN: 0531095398. Honor Book An African girl is forced to undertake a challenging,
solo journey through the jungle to avoid a marriage and
relatives who don't want her. This is an amazing tale of survival, rich in details
about East African culture. The main character, Nhamo, has
the courage to stand up against centuries of tradition. It
compares well with Gary Paulsen's Hatchet and would make an
interesting companion piece. The narrative, however, is poorly delivered. The reader
feels as though he's seeing Nhamo's life through a dark
glass. Moorchild by Eloise McGraw (McElderry, $13.60,
fifth-grade level). ISBN:068980654X. Honor Book A changeling fights for her place in a rural village but
eventually has to leave the town after bringing back the kid
whose place she took. This story superficially reads like a fantasy about
stupid humans and tricky elves but it's really a commentary
about children who find themselves as outsiders in their own
families and neighborhoods. The setting is what appears to
be the medieval past, but the relevance is timeless. Many
kids will relate to the girl's predicament. This is a well-told tale, exciting to read, hard to put
down. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (Puffin Papaerback,
$4.99, sixth-grade level). ISBN: 0140388346. Honor Book A thief in the time of legend displays his prowess by
stealing a precious gem from the temple of the gods. This is a real page turner but has little to recommend
it. There are of course references to gods, legends and
brief flirtation with a Faustian theme, but the flirtation
is unsuccessful. If kids want to buy an airport book for a long flight,
they would do well to turn here. Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White (Econo-Clad, $8.76,
fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0395692296. Honor Book A boy in rural Virginia lives with his grandparents after
his mother leaves one night in a mysterious departure. This may come as a shock to adults who read a lot of
fiction from Southern authors, but this is a
character-driven novel about poor folk in West Virginia. White limns these characters with a full brush. She
effectively uses dialogue to bring forth emotion. She
obviously feels compassion for both the kids and the
adults.
Copyright David Ross 2003