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2004
The Tale of Despereaux by
Kate DiCamillo/illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering (Candlewick Press,
$17.99, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0763617229. The Medalist Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
(Greenwillow, $15.99, sixth-grade level). ISBN: 0060535431.(P) Honor Book A 12-year-old girl learns a great deal about, life, love and death
during an eventful summer vacation at her grandmother’s seaside
cottage. The novel offers teachers many themes (death, mourning, love,
adolescence, change, intergenerational relationships, etc.) to play
with. The reading level is such that fifth-graders could breeze through
the pages. The emotional content, though, will keep most of the boys
away. These are topics that boys, even when they grow up to middle age,
have trouble talking about. Not Henkes. An American Plague: The True
and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim
Murphy (Clarion Books, $17, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0395776082. Honor Book Murphy provides readers with an exploration of the
epidemic that killed 5,000 in Philadelphia during George Washington’s
presidency. Murphy makes the story relevant by appending a few
chapters that demonstrate modern society is even more at risk from a
fatal epidemic because of the use and abuse of technology.
Copyright David Ross 2004
A mouse reveals the powerful heart that drives him to bravery when he
rescues a human princess from a rat that seeks to imprison her in a
dungeon.
The cruelly named Despereaux seems doomed from birth. He is small and
weak. His drama-queen mother ignores him and his weak-willed father
deserts him. His siblings rat him out at every opportunity. The spark
of greatness, though, simmers beneath his surface.
Despereaux breaks the fundamental rule governing the relationship
between humans and animals, setting in motion a terrible plot by the
rat, conniving Roscuro, that nearly claims the princess’ life. Tragedy
is prevented only by a desperate, inspiring act of courage.
What a change of pace for DiCamillo. Her first two books, masterfully
written in a dense, character-driven style that greatly resembles
Southern Gothic, earned national honors. “Desperaux” reveals the
author’s dexterity in yet another genre. DiCamillio keeps her tongue
firmly in cheek while mimicking a swashbuckling adventure story from
the 1800s.
”The Tale of Despereaux” is a wonderful book. It should find an
audience at many grade levels and now that the Newbery committee has
bestowed DiCamillo with its highest award it most assuredly will.
When I first reviewed this book a month ago I told my readers that I
planned on using it as a read-aloud for my 5-year-old son. He avidly
consumed it. What a pleasant surprise when critics and audience agree.
The story begins with the death of a girl, a classmate that everyone
ignored. Olive’s early demise is a mere sidelight until Martha, a
sensitive soul just entering the turmoil of adolescence, learns that
one of the girl’s last journal entries contained a compliment and a
plea for friendship. Martha’s complacent world is rocked when she
receives this news from Olive’s quirky mom, who pedals off on he bike,
never to be seen again.
Martha begins her summer vacation in a pensive mood. That
thoughtfulness is greatly enhanced by her dad’s anger, her brother’s
teen-age aloofness, her mother’s existence, the band of brothers vying
for her attention and the impending death of her grandmother, an
82-year-old font of wisdom and patience.
Martha’s mood shifts are mercurial. She tumbles from rage to elation in
a heartbeat. She revels in her emotions because she’s determined to be
a writer, and that’s what writers do
If nothing else, Henkes deserves Newbery honors for emotional
exploration. It’s been many years since I’ve read a book that so
clearly limns the emotional swirl of an adolescent girl. He should be
praised too, for his portrayal of an American family that is both
healthy and vibrant. Midway through the novel, Martha “realized that
any family, even the very best ones, had their moments. Awful, private
moments. Had them every day. Many times a day.”
Murphy walks readers through the epidemic, from its humble start among
the poor of Philadelphia to its near fatal impact on the nascent
federal government. He writes in a clinical, dispassionate tone about
the most horrifying events. Murphy patiently explains that the lack of
medical knowledge about germ theory created panic and forced doctors to
try ridiculous remedies.
Murphy pulls three strands through his story. The first is the threat
to the Constitution created when Washington, Adams and Jefferson left
Philadelphia, the nation’s capital at that time, without leadership.
The second is the intense debate over medical practice and theory. The
third is the heroic action of a few good men, including a group of
freed blacks who acted as nurses when whites left their posts. Murphy
could have played this last into a huge, politically correct, trump
card, but he didn’t.
This is only the third time in the last 14 years that the Newbery
committee has honored a non-fiction book. Eight years ago Murphy
received a nod for his book on the great Chicago
fire. Let’s hope he keeps writing.