Friday, January 31, 2014

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Geroge Speare


Sometimes a book is astonishing simply because it takes a subject that you’ve never before considered and presents it to you as a topic quite worthy of a story. Set in first-century Israel, Elizabeth George Speare’s novel The Bronze Bow is a wonderfully unique work due to its fiery hero, whose outlook on his times gives, among other things, a fascinating impression of the historical character of Jesus.

          Daniel hates the burgeoning Roman Empire as the cause of Israel’s captivity and as the reason his family is in shambles. Chafing under its conquering hand, he joins a band of rebels who hide in the hills of Galilee and embark on raids against those whose wealth affiliates them with the Romans, until the death of his grandmother forces him to return home and care for his sister Leah. Daniel is not content to be only a village blacksmith, and he and his friends Joel and Thacia make a pact to seek out like-minded allies to work for God’s Victory. Frustratingly for the ardent Daniel, this victory turns out to be elusive. His search for a worthy commander in the struggle against the Romans leads him to an itinerate preacher named Jesus, whose compelling persona is coupled with a surprising creed. Daniel, however, must decide whether his vendetta is worth keeping despite the havoc it must necessarily wreak on those closest to him, or whether he will accept Jesus’ unusual promise of deliverance.

Speare’s novel is clearly worthy of the Newbery Medal it won in 1962 for both its beautifully clear voice and its engrossing depiction of a pivotal time period. The Jewish culture with its detailed religious heritage is a central element to the story and certainly adds to its realism; also, the picture of Jesus as he might be seen from the eyes of an “ordinary” Jew of his day is quite captivating. Daniel’s other relationships with figures such as his sister Leah, his friend Samson, and Simon the Zealot contribute to a multifaceted plot. The character of Thacia is interesting as a strong feminine character who is comfortably herself within the customs of the time. These elements culminate in a coming-of-age story that presents a hero with passions and struggles that readers will appreciate.


Saturday, January 25, 2014

Jemmy by John Hassler

For some reason, while books set in the lushly warm California or the historical East Coast are fairly plentiful, stories located in Minnesota – the Land of 10,000 Mosquitos and 10,000 Different Kinds of Frostbite – are less common. This blog writer consequently gets very excited to find resident authors who take great pains to work their home state into their fiction. In his young adult novel Jemmy, John Hassler uses his knowledge of Minnesota to tell the fascinating story of a member of a rarely-mentioned minority group.
          The daughter of a Chippewa woman and an Irish house painter, Jemmy (short for Gemstone) is a stoic and practical teenager used to being treated with indifference or mockery due to her dual lineage. Her mother has been dead for a few years and her alcoholic father now demands that she quit high school to take care of her younger siblings. Jemmy resigns herself to her loss of education, but her future takes an unexpected turn when sheltering from a blizzard introduces her to Otis Chapman, an artist commissioned to paint a mural of the legendary Maiden of Eagle Rock. Otis sees Jemmy as both a kindred spirit and exactly the inspiration he needs for his work. Posing as his model opens Jemmy’s eyes to the world of art and to possibilities for herself and her relationships that she had never before considered.
          One of the most enjoyable aspects to this novel is Jemmy’s rich character. Neither a histrionic heroine nor a surly, disaffected delinquent, she faces her considerable difficulties with what can best be termed grace. The ultimate message this story offers is also valuable: while learning to appreciate the lives of her father, Otis Chapman, and the Maiden of Eagle Rock, she recognizes the need to make her own choices that will lead her to her own unique future. This is a wonderful story to read if facing personal difficulties or if seeking to be inspired by an engaging story of hard-won strength.

         


The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

A wittily educational book that’s jam-packed with puns and is a pleasure to read? Of course such a thing exists! Norton Juster’s The Phantom Tollbooth is a literary treasure, able to engage even the most skeptical of audiences and leave them wishing, just once, to hear a blindfolded octopus unwrap a cellophane-covered bathtub. 
                Milo is a young boy who spends every minute of every day being bored out of his skull: every occupation seems like a waste of time to him, as he considers both school and play to be equally pointless. So when a tollbooth mysteriously appears in his room, Milo drives through it simply because he has nothing better to do. This turns out to be the best thing he’s ever done, for the strange and captivating land in which he finds himself has just lost its two princesses and needs a hero to rescue them. Milo takes up the quest with the aid of some queer new friends such as Tock the Watchdog and the Humbug and sets off through a land of dodecahedrons, Doldrums, dissonance, and subtraction soup. As adventures abound and his sense of wonder grows, he realizes that this country has as much help to give him as he has to offer it.

          If every person was required to read this book at least once in his or her life, the world would doubtless be a more adventuresome place. The Phantom Tollbooth is filled with characters and situations which are both riotously funny and heartwarmingly wise, lending a quirky moral to every chapter; furthermore, the lessons offered are such that both adults and younger readers can appreciate their wisdom, including the value of knowledge, the importance of choosing the right word, the perils of jumping to conclusions or lazing around, and the necessity of imagination. Milo himself is delightful; readers will be affected by his mounting excitement as the book progresses and encouraged by his new sense of purpose at the conclusion. Perhaps they will begin waiting for magic tollbooths to appear in their bedrooms in addition to looking for Narnia in their closets. 

Welcome to the Freelance Librarian

Welcome to The Freelance Librarian! This blog is dedicated to reviewing books from the junior fiction and young adult section of the Fitzgerald Library on the Winona campus of St. Mary’s University. Its purpose is to provide enjoyable, objective, and informative reviews of a wide range of children’s and young adult literature. Each post will include a brief plot summary of a designated book – no spoilers permitted – as well as a short evaluation. These evaluations are meant to consider the literary merit of the book in such areas as plot and writing technique, as well as assist readers in selecting books suited to their interests, essentially striving to inform you whether a certain book may or may not be worth your while.
          The aim of The Freelance Librarian is to be a helpful resource for readers who wish to reserve their valuable time for reading a good book, rather than fruitlessly browsing through shelves or forcing their way through a boring novel. Booklovers, however, should bear in mind the important fact that there is absolutely no book in the world that will unconditionally delight all readers. This blog will attempt to provide reviews based on standard literary criteria, but does not expect to conform to every individual taste. For this reason, the 50-Page Rule is an excellent rule of thumb for choosing a book to read: if, after 50 pages, you are bored to tears and would rather read the washing instructions on the tag of your new sweater than peruse another page (“99% Lithuanian Albino Yak wool, 1% recognizable fiber: Hand Wash Only If You Want It to Shrink Beyond Recognition”), put it down without regret. After all, the purpose of a book review is to guide you to a work that you will find enjoyable. May this blog help you to find many new friends.

          Happy reading!