Run, Boy, Run

Written By: Uri Orlev

Translated By: Hillel Halkin

Uri Orlev did not have an easy childhood.  He was born in Warsaw, Poland and was forced to hide in the Warsaw ghetto during World War II because he was Jewish.  He hid with his mother and younger brother from 1939-1941, but when the Nazis killed his mother, he and his brother went to Bergen-Belsen—a concentration camp.  He managed to survive the war, and now lives in Israel.  Uri Orlev has written many stories of his own past, but Run, Boy, Run is the true story of another young boy who also survived the Warsaw ghetto during World War II.  It is a story that moved Uri Orlev to tears when he first heard it—and a story that Orlev was inspired to tell.

Orlev writes from the perspective of an eight year-old boy, Srulik, who is eventually forced to change his name and lose his identity in order to survive.  Orlev brings to light the realities of the war.  For example, early on, Srulik describes how he and his mother had to search for food in the garbage.  “When his arms didn’t reach all the way into the garbage, he used a stick or a broken board.  He looked for peels of potatoes, carrots, beets, and apples and sometimes found old, moldy bread.  Everything went in a straw basket that he handed to his mother.  At home, she picked out what was edible and cooked it.  Although each family member received food rations, these were too small to keep them alive.” 

The story tells of Srulik’s struggle to survive.  At one point, Srulik got his arm trapped in a machine when he was working.  He was brought to a hospital and needed surgery.  After examining Srulik, a young surgeon said, “I’m not operating on this boy…Because he’s a Jew.”  Because the surgeon would not operate on Srulik, he ended up having to get his arm amputated.  After this happens, readers are left wondering how Srulik can possibly survive with only one arm.  Things are hard enough having both.

Having lived through many hardships himself, Urlev was able to captivate readers in through this compelling story.  He incorporated many details that make the setting real and believable.  After reading his account of someone else’s experience in WWII, I am intrigued to learn of his.  Run, Boy, Run is the 2004 winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award, which is presented to outstanding books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country and later translated into English and published in the United States.  

These Hands

Written by: Margaret H. Mason

Illustrated by: Floyd Cooper

In the 1950s and 1960s, African American workers at the Wonder Bread factories were not allowed to work as bread dough mixers or handlers.  They were only allowed to sweep the floors, load the trucks, and fix the machines.  Author Margaret H. Mason, learned about the discrimination that went on in the factories from an old friend, Joe Barnett, who was a leader of one of the bakery labor unions.  His story was powerful, and even though many years had since passed when Joe was telling his story, his hands were still trembling at the thought of the discrimination.

In 2006, Joe Barnett passed away, and Margaret H. Mason was inspired to write his story—the story of the hands that could not mix the bread dough at the Wonder Bread factory, but could do so many other things.

Throughout the story, Mason uses repetitive language in order to emphasize where our society has been and how far our society has come.  A grandfather tells his grandson about all of the wonderful things his hands can do.  “Look at these hands, Joseph.  Did you know these hands used to throw a curve ball faster than a dive-bombing honeybee?  Well, I can still help a young fellow learn to hit a line drive—yes, I can.  This same format is repeated throughout the entire book, with a different thing that hands could do each time.  The same format is used when the grandfather tells the young grandson that these same hands that could do all of these wonderful things, used to not be able to touch the bread dough in the Wonder Bread factory. 

It is at this point that Mason breaks from her repetition and adds understated text, “Because the bosses said white people would not want to eat bread touched by these hands.  Well, these hands joined with other hands.  And we wrote our petitions, and we carried our signs, and we raised our voices together.  Now any hands can mix the bread dough, no matter their color.  Now any hands can touch the bread dough, no matter their color.  Yes, they can.”  Each of these short statements is written on separate pages—emphasizing their importance and enabling readers to make their own connections with the Civil Rights Movement and how difficult it was for change to come about.

Accompanying the simple, yet powerful text, are beautifully crafted illustrations that evoke strong emotions.  Floyd Cooper has an interesting illustrative technique, which involves oil wash on board and then erasing some of the color.  A brief description of this technique is described through Amazon.  I recognized his compelling illustrations right away, and realized he is the same illustrator for the collection of poetry, The Blacker the Berry.  His illustrations are warm and inviting and focus on the emotions of the characters.  Each full-bleed, double-paged spread in a representational style helps readers to feel like a part of each illustration.  Cooper truly focuses in on the facial expressions of the people—making us feel their struggle and hear their voices.  We are always kept at a close perspective making us feel as though we are a part of the story.  There is only one moment when we are kept at a safe distance—and that is when the grandfather is reflecting back to the Wonder Bread Factory.  The illustration on this page is framed and is of a white man working in the factory.  The grandfather is unframed on the left, watching the white man work.  Tension is created as we think about the discrimination the grandfather and other African Americans endured.

As Mason writes in her author’s note, “The history is shocking today to many people.  But back then, it wasn’t news; it was just how things were.”  It is comforting to know that today, all hands, regardless of race, can do anything.  “Anything at all in this whole wide world.  Yes, you can.”

Number the Stars

Written By: Lois Lowry

Set in Copenhagen, Denmark during World War II, author Lois Lowry takes readers back to a time of unimaginable sadness—a time that would later be known as The Holocaust.  Lowry immersed herself in the culture of Denmark and researched countless hours in order to write the compelling historical fiction novel, Number the Stars—a story about a young Danish girl and her family’s involvement with helping Jews to escape to Sweden into freedom.

Lowry included many subtleties throughout the book that helped to bring the setting to life and allowed readers to visualize the characters, time period, and location.  She helps readers to realize that the War affected everyone in some way, shape, or form.  We immediately sense the presence of German soldiers in Copenhagen.  When first confronted with one of the soldiers, Annemarie comments on his Danish.  She thinks, “Three years they’ve been in our country, and still they can’t speak our language.”  This subtle thought helps us to realize that the War has been going on long before the first page of the written book.  It gives us a sense of how long the citizens of Denmark had to endure the intrusion of the Germans.  It also helps us to understand the levels of sacrifice within the community.

In order to further comprehend the levels of sacrifice, Lowry incorporates rationing by including examples such as, “There had been no real coffee in Copenhagen since the beginning of the Nazi occupation.  Not even any real tea.  The mothers sipped at hot water flavored with herbs.”  Also, “There hasn’t been any butter, or sugar for cupcakes, for a long time.  A year, at least.”  At one point, Kirsti, Annemarie’s younger sister, outgrew her shoes and needed a new pair.  She did not approve of her new shoes made of fish skin, but her mother explains, “You know there’s no leather anymore…But they’ve found a way to make shoes out of fish skin.  I don’t think these are too ugly.” 

In an article written to explain her journey of writing Number the Stars, Lowry discusses how after she had done all of her research, written all of the words, and thought the book was almost complete, she realized that it was not at all complete.  She realized that she needed to go back to Denmark.  She immersed herself in the culture of Denmark and became familiar with the sights, sounds, and smells of Copenhagen.  In fact, she mentions how she took a train north from Copenhagen and “…stood on the coast, looked across to Sweden, and smelled the air and sea.”  By the time her trip was up, she said that she actually felt quite Danish.  When she returned home, she states, “I came home and rewrote the entire book.  Same characters: same plot.  But now it had the real Denmark in it.”

Lowry strongly develops the characters of Number the Stars so that readers are emotionally engaged with the overall themes of the book as well as with the characters themselves.  Themes of friendship, strength, unity, and courage prevail throughout.  The protagonist, Annemarie, is a young girl of ten when the story begins.  Annemarie is aware of the war going on around her, but in the beginning, she believes her family and their dear friends, the Rosens, are safe.  Throughout the novel, we notice the development of Annemarie as well as her loss of innocence through her courage, strong will to help her friend, and need for understanding of the events going on around her.  For example, Annemarie questions why the adults are being secretive and keeping things from her.  In a conversation with her Uncle, she realizes that everyone is on a, “need-to-know” basis during the war and this makes it easier to be brave.  She finds truth in this when she is needed to deliver an important package to her Uncle and gets stopped by German soldiers.

Lowry’s style of language sets the mood for the story by creating tension and evoking emotions.  She includes strong dialogue between the characters, which helps readers to become more engaged.  Through Lowry’s strong development of characters and engaging plot, readers cannot help but turn pages quickly in hopes that everything will be alright.

Although Lowry did not grow up in Copenhagen, she wrote her story in such a way that one would believe she was.  One of Lowry’s close friends, Annelise, grew up in Copenhagen during the years of World War II.  Annelise shared stories with Lowry about her daily life—her family, their home, school days, clothing styles, and the games she played.  Annelise told Lowry many stories of her childhood and gave Lowry the perspective she needed to write a story that combined historical events with the day-to-day living of a young girl and her family.  For example, the second sentence of the book reads, “Annemarie adjusted the thick leather pack on her back so that her schoolbooks balanced evenly.”  Lowry learned from her close friend that a little girl would have carried her schoolbooks in a stiff leather knapsack.

Lowry also met another woman in Copenhagen, Kirsten Krogh, who was a young bride during the German occupation and had been involved in the Resistance movement along with her husband in the Resistance movement.  Through her, Lowry learned even more of the fine details of Copenhagen and Denmark—details that would make her book culturally vivid.  For example, Kirsten told Lowry about the flowers that would bloom in autumn along the Danish coast and how a mother would read aloud, Gone with the Wind to her children.  All of these small details were in the book.

As told from the perspective of Annemarie, Lowry is careful to incorporate details into the setting that are relatable to a child.  For example, when Lowry asked Annelese to describe the German soldiers she said, “I remember the high shiny boots.”  Lowry describes the soldiers in the book, “There were two sets of cold eyes glaring at her, and four tall shiny boots planted firmly on the sidewalk, blocking her path home.”

In her Afterword of the novel, Lowry separates fact from fiction.  Annemarie, although based on her friend Annelise, is a fictional character.  Lowry goes on to discuss the integrity of the Danish people under the leadership of King Christian X and how the reasons for Denmark’s involvement in the war were the same as what Annemarie’s father had told her, “The country was small and undefended, with no army of any size.”

I was surprised to find out the truth behind the handkerchief delivered to Uncle Henrik.  There was a strong powder created out of dried rabbit’s blood and cocaine that permeated these special handkerchiefs that were created to lure German dogs away from the sent of people by temporarily destroying their sense of smell.  It was fascinating to learn that such a thing is true and saved so many lives. 

I feel confident in saying that Lois Lowry did extensive research prior to writing the historical fiction novel, Number the Stars.  Without having read Lowry’s acceptance speech and Lowry’s reflection on writing the novel, I may not have known just how detailed and accurate Lowry’s account of a child’s perspective during World War II was.  As a result, I feel as though the compelling story of Annemarie and her family and their determination and courage in saving the Jews is one that Lowry has earned the right to tell.

Elijah of Buxton

Written by: Christopher Paul Curtis

Audiobook Read by: Mirron Willis

Elijah of Buxton is the story of a young boy growing up in one of the first black settlements in Canada.  Elijah, the first child to be born free in the town, goes through the hoops and hurdles of life and comes to know that he is a little less fra-gile than most believe.

Christopher Paul Curtis made this work of historical fiction come to life by setting the story in a place that did exist.  The story took place in the Elgin Settlement, which was known as Buxton, Canada.  Buxton was one of the first four black settlements developed in Canada during the mid-eighteen hundreds.  Reverend William King—a white man who felt that blacks could be successful if given the same opportunities as white children—developed Buxton.  It was a place where African Americans were treated fairly and could thrive. 

Curtis infused small details of the real Buxton that made readers feel like they were a part of the original settlement.  For example, in the story, community members would ring a Liberty Bell each time a newly freed person arrived in order to welcome him or her into the community.  Curtis mentions in his Author’s Note that this was indeed true.  The bell was purchased in 1850 using the pennies, nickels, and dollars saved by former slaves and was a tribute to the people of Buxton.  Curtis also emphasized how important school was throughout his novel and always had Elijah studying Latin.  Reverend William King did indeed strongly value school and did teach such subjects such as Greek and Latin to students.  In fact, many white families in the area decided to send their children to the Academy of Buxton due to its excellent reputation.

Elijah, the protagonist, is an eleven-year-old boy who is putting forth his best efforts to, “quit being so fra-gile.”  Curtis strongly develops the character of Elijah and readers cannot help but feel emotionally vested in the story.  Elijah narrates and constantly tries to make sense of the world and of his elders who he is supposed to trust and respect.  For example, one day, Elijah goes fishing and catches ten fish that he plans to share with a few people in the neighborhood as well as his family.  Before he gets a chance to head home after an evening of fishing, the Preacher, a shady character to say the least, tricks Elijah into giving him some of the fish because of tithing.  Although tithing is ten percent, and ten percent of ten is one, the Preacher somehow ends up with four fish.  Elijah thinks, “I didn’t mean to show no disrespect but I couldn’t help frowning.  I started with ten fish and now I was down to six, and even though I ain’t particular worthy at my schooling, it still seemed it’d take a whole lot of doggone humbug algebra and some trickaration geometry to make ten percent of ten come out to four….Then he was gone.  And so were four of my fish, and hard as I try, I caint see that as one tenth of ten!”

Elijah gives others the benefit of the doubt and is very respectful.  He is hard working, and in spite of his mother’s belief that he is fra-gile, he proves that he is quite courageous and selfless.  Throughout the story, readers laugh with Elijah as he makes gullible mistakes and cry with him, as he becomes a young, brave man. 

Christopher Paul Curtis won both the Coretta Scott King Award and the Newbery for Elijah of Buxton.  In addition, there is an audiobook version of this story available, which was awarded the 2009 Odyssey Honor Award.  The story, read by Mirron Willis, adds authenticity and life to the characters.  Curtis writes using dialect, which begs to be read aloud.  Although this story stands on it’s own, readers should listen to the story in order to have full appreciation.

Christopher Paul Curtis dedicates his historical fiction novel to the original twenty-one former-slave settlers of the Elgin Settlement and Buxton Mission of Raleigh.  He also dedicated this story to Reverend William King and his love of justice.  In his author’s note, he writes, “Buxton is an inspiration, and its importance in both American and Canadian history deserves to be much more recognized.  I feel so honored to have been able to set my novel in such a beautiful place.”  Curtis gives readers a glimpse into the hardships of slavery.  He gives readers perspective on what it may have been like to become free, to lose your loved ones, and to be recaptured.  Through his eye-opening and captivating novel, Curtis was successful in helping people to recognize the significance and importance of Buxton.

Note: You can visit the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum in order to learn more about the history of Buxton.  There is also a lot of information on their website about the history if you are interested in learning more.

Bull Run

Written by Paul Fleischman

Woodcuts by David Frampton

For whatever reason, I have never found the Civil War to be exceptionally interesting.  Perhaps it was because the teacher I had the year(s) I learned about it did not tell any good stories and focused on the cold, hard facts—the facts that I also read in the textbook along with a plethora of definitions and descriptions of important people and battles.  

In Paul Fleischman’s, Bull Run, we are given a synopsis of the Battle of Bull Run from sixteen different fictional perspectives.  Eight of characters are from a Northern perspective and eight are from a Southern perspective.  Within these sixteen, we read the perspectives of the rich and poor, the slaves and the free, and young and the old, and those with various jobs within the war.  Finally, history written with stories—this is certainly much more interesting than reading about the battle in a textbook.

As with other Fleischman books I have read, he continues to amaze me with his ability to write across different genres.  Bull Run, a historical fiction novel, incorporates stories that help us see Fleischman’s love for history.  As with in Graven Images, Fleischman is successfully able to write each perspective, or story within the story, in a different voice. 

Although the story was interesting, Fleischman did include sixteen different perspectives in just 102 pages.  Fleischman also wrote from several different perspectives in the short book, Seedfolks, but each person only had one chapter.  If a person was mentioned again throughout the book, it was because Fleischman made connections between characters and tied everyone together through the neighborhood garden.  In Bull Run, Fleischman had short snippits of thought from each perspective and each person had at least three or four different “chapters” in the book.  I preferred the way Flesichman incorporated the characters in Seedfolks because I felt it was easier to make emotional connections and to remember each person. 

Although Frampton incorporated woodcuts at the start of each chapter to signify the perspective that the section was written from, I still found it difficult to keep each character straight.  Fleischman did provide a page in the back of the book that listed each character and their loyalty.  Although this was helpful, I did not feel I should have needed to constantly flip pages in order to remember characters.  It was suggested that this story be performed as Reader’s Theater.  I do think that this would be the best way to read this story.  I think it would be very helpful in fully connecting with and understanding the characters.

In order to fully appreciate this story and understand the value of this book, it is certainly necessary to have specific background knowledge on the Civil War.  I think the information provided in this story is specific to the Civil War and the time period and is not all necessarily relatable to war in general.  For example, in Cynthia Rylant’s, I Had Seen Castles, it did not matter that the story was about World War II.  Any person could gain knowledge from the story regarding different aspects and feelings from war.  In Bull Run, the story would not be as enjoyable if you did not already know information about the Civil War and the time period.

I Had Seen Castles

Written by Cynthia Rylant

I have always been an outsider to war.  When I look into the eyes of a soldier, I see a hero.  I see someone who has risked his life for our country and protected us from harm.  I see strength, bravery, and wisdom—and I am thankful that he has made it home and can find happiness with his friends and family.  When I look into the eyes of a soldier, I do not see the war—I see hope for a better future.

But, when I look into the eyes of a solder, I am, and always will be, an outsider. 

The eyes of a soldier tell a different story.  They cannot take back the unimaginable things they have seen and there are no other eyes—other than those that have seen the same—that can truly understand.

John Dante is seventeen years old in the midst of World War II.  His friends who are eighteen have already enlisted in the War.   John has mixed emotions throughout the book on whether or not to join the war, but in the end—he decides to do so when he turns eighteen. 

I Had Seen Castles, a powerful young-adult fiction novel written by Cynthia Rylant, opens our eyes not only to the brutality and horrifying experiences of fighting in a war, but to the innermost thoughts and feelings of those fighting.  It’s a story about love, loss, hope, and growing up far too fast.  

As with many of Rylant’s other books, she is able to emotionally engage us in the text through her use of descriptive text.  Her language is poetic and beautiful, even though she is describing horrifying events.  “The pictures in Life may have shown suffering and death to the people back home, but they never showed dismemberment.  The shoes with feet and legs up to the knees still standing, and nothing more.  The rest of the boy is gone.  Or the chest cavity blown wide open so that the heart can be seen, still beating, and the boy to whom the heart belongs reaches out and asks to be helped to die.” And, she put into perspective how many innocent people died, “Thirty million Russian people died in the Second World War.  Not soldiers—families.  Thirty million people.  Mothers and grandmothers, fathers and children.  They burned and bled, littering the landscape.  Their beds burned and their toys.  Their wedding pictures and their babies’ carriages.”   She helps open our eyes as readers and the way she describes death and the war makes us think about its’ true purpose.

Rylant mentions in the back of the book that although she did some research for the story, she relied heavily on her heart in order to write it.  Her inspiration for the story was due to special newspaper editions with interviews from World War II Veterans—marking it’s fiftieth anniversary.  I wonder how much information she gathered from real veterans and how much she made up or assumed a soldier would think.  I did read in a biography of Rylant that her father was a veteran of the Korean War and died when she was only thirteen.  It did not seem that she was that close to her father or knew much about him.  I wonder how much, if any, of her inspiration came from her father’s experiences.

John Dante was forever changed after the war in ways that few could understand.  After all, John had seen castles—and everything else could never be seen the same way.

One Crazy Summer

Written by Rita Williams-Garcia

It is hard to believe that it was only fifty-five or so years ago when the United States was at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement.  When I learned about it in school growing up, it always seemed like it was such a distant thing in the past.  In thinking of the actual timeline of it, it really puts things into perspective.  It was not that long ago that our society was extremely racist and needed to go about radical change.  I think I sometimes forget that there are people still around today that were impacted by the Civil Rights Movement.  People who are my colleagues, friends, and neighbors may have either been directly affected or have parents and grandparents who were. 

Rita Williams-Garcia, author of One Crazy Summer, was one who was around and well aware of the events going on around her during the latter portion of the Civil Rights Movement even though she was a young child.  In an interview seen on Uma Krishnaswami’s blog, Rita briefly discusses her life during the late 1960s.  She mentioned how she kept a diary beginning in 1968 and went back to read it when coming up with the ideas for One Crazy Summer.  Interestingly, she had mention of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and the arrests of James Earl Ray and Sirhan Sirhan.  She also mentioned how two of her cousins were Black Panthers and one even highjacked a plane. 

Williams-Garcia talks about how she did not want to necessarily write about specific memories that she had, but more about the overall feeling during that time period.  Through Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern we learn that children were involved as much as many adults were with the movement.  We also learn a little bit about the Black Panthers, which was founded in Oakland, California, in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. 

When Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern’s mother Cecile abandoned them in Brooklyn just after Fern was born, they were told it was because she was not allowed to name Fern what she wanted to name her.  The girls never knew much about their mother, other than that Big Ma did not think highly of her.  When their father sends them to Oakland, California in the summer of 1968 to visit their mother, the girls finally get a glimpse into their past and into who their mother really is.

Through the language of the text, we learn how strong and mature Delphine is.  From the very beginning on page 14, Delphine describes the term, “Mother.”

“Mother is a statement of fact.  Cecile Johnson gave birth to us.  We came out of Cecile Johnson.  In the animal kingdom that makes her our mother…Cecile Johnson—mammal birth giver, alive, an abandoner—is our mother.  A statement of fact…Mommy gets up to give you a glass of water in the middle of the night.  Mom invites your friends inside when it’s raining.  Mama burns your ears with the hot comb to make your hair look pretty for class picture day.  Ma is sore and worn out from wringing your wet clothes and hanging them to dry; Ma needs peace and quiet at the end of the day.  We don’t have one of those.  We have a statement of fact.”

Even though she is eleven years old, Delphine assumes the role of mother and takes care of her sisters.  She shows her strength when she decides the girls are no longer going to eat take-out and she stands up to Cecile by insisting on cooking in the kitchen.

Williams-Garcia put snippets of fact throughout her powerful story that make it more believable and put us into the setting of the times.  For example, the Black Panthers do have a Free Breakfast Program, which was set up to feed the inner city youth every morning before school.  The Black Panthers also began in Oakland during this time period and many important Black Panther activists were named and discussed.  I tried to find out more about educating the youth, but was mostly unsuccessful.  I did find out that the Black Panthers did set up the Intercommunal Youth Program in 1971 in order to educate many African American children who were deemed, “uneducable” by the system.  I wonder if summer camps did exist where children went to be educated about the Black Panthers after being served breakfast. 

The theme of abandonment occurs not only in this story, but also in Moon Over Manifest, and Turtle In Paradise, both historical fiction novels set during the Great Depression.  The difference; however, with the abandonment in One Crazy Summer, is that the girls get to meet their “long-lost” mother—knowing it is their mother.  It is sad to read the disconnect Cecile has with her children.  She will not even call Fern by her name—just, “Little Girl.”  She sends the girls to get take-out for dinner everyday and will not allow them into the kitchen.  At first, I thought the girls would have been better off never meeting their mother.  At least in their hearts, they could think that she maybe cared about them.

I was surprised to see the changes in Cecile as the end of the story neared.  I am not sure I expected her to become the character that she did.  Garcia-Williams showed the progression of her character over time as she turned into more of a mother.  It started slow, by letting Delphine into the kitchen to cook home-cooked meals and getting the girls a radio so they’d have something to do.  By the end of the story, after Cecile’s arrest, she opens up to Delphine about her past and tells Delphine that Fern’s name was to be Afua.  As the girls board the plane to return home, we are not sure what will become of them and their relationship with Cecile.  Will they ever see each other again? 

“We broke off from the line and ran over to hug our mother and let her hug us...We weren’t about to leave Oakland without getting what we’d come for.  It only took Fern to know we needed a hug from our mother.”

Perhaps that is the hope that we as readers need to know.  Everything will be okay with Cecile and the girls.  Things will hopefully only get better in the future.

Turtle in Paradise

Written by Jennifer L. Holm

When thinking of Turtle, the protagonist in the historical fiction novel, Turtle in Paradise, written by Jennifer L. Holm, I am reminded of a Colgate commercial that used to air on television in the late nineties. 

A kindergarten teacher was asking children: “What color is the grass?”

Kids: “Green”

Teacher: “What color is my sweater?”

Kids: “Blue.”

Teacher:  “Good, and what color are my teeth?”

Kids:  “…silence…” “Beige,” “Off-White,” “…Mother of Pearl!”

This commercial reminds me of the innocence of children and the brutal honesty that they can sometimes possess (before they develop a filter, that is…).  Children are observant and they pick up on much more than I believe we sometimes realize.  Turtle is just this way—observant, wise beyond her years, strong, and honest.  Turtle certainly calls it the way she sees it and tells it like it is.

For example, at the very start of the book, Turtle opens with, “Everyone thinks children are sweet as Necco Wafers, but I’ve lived long enough to know the truth: kids are rotten.  The only difference between grown-ups and kids is that grown-ups go to jail for murder.  Kids get away with it.”

When explaining that she is named Turtle because her mother says she has a hard shell, she thinks:

“And I do.  I haven’t cried since I was five years old.  I don’t think I have much of a choice, to tell the truth.  Who else is going to hold things together when Mama falls apart after some man disappears?  Once you get out of the habit of crying, you hardly even miss it.”

Turtle needs to have strength and wisdom because even at the age of eleven she has already been through so much.  She does not know who her father is, she did not even realize she had any family until she arrived in Key West, and she is practically taking care of her mother who is on a search for love and happiness. 

Holm is able to successfully develop all of her characters in order to help us as readers get a true sense of the setting.  The story takes place during the Depression in 1935.  Families in Key West are poor and doing whatever they can to make ends meet.  Children are running around without shoes and Turtle’s cousins even have their own business changing diapers and watching babies—a service they exchange for candy. 

I was surprised about the use of the outhouse in the story.  I did not realize that outhouses were prevalent in the 1930s.  I also realized how trustworthy adults were during this time period.  In both Turtle in Paradise and Moon Over Manifest, set during the Depression, and One Crazy Summer, set during the late sixties, the children were allowed to roam free and pretty much do whatever they wanted.  I remember my mother used to tell me that her mother would tell her and her sisters to go outside and play in the morning and they would disappear with the neighborhood kids until dinnertime.    She always says that she couldn’t believe her mom let them do that—and insisted as a child that I not ride my bike beyond the driveway for a good few years.  It makes me wonder—was it any less dangerous then to be outside gallivanting as a young child then it is now?  Or, was it just perception?

When Turtle, Beans, Pork Chop, Buddy, Kermit and Ira all set out on an adventure to find treasure, it amazes me that they have left their home, stolen a boat, and taken it to another island in order to find treasure.  This would certainly be unheard of in this day and age—I am not sure they would have even been able to leave the dock without being seen.

When reading the author’s note, one realizes how much historical fact took a role in the story of Turtle in Paradise.  I had wondered why all of the children had odd nicknames, but as it turned out, nicknaming is a Key West tradition.  It was interesting to find out that Kermit was Holm’s cousin and he did once trick Jimmy the ice cream man with the trick where he put the nickel in the bottom of the ice cream cup.  It is always interesting to read about the real facts that have inspired the fiction.  Holm’s does a wonderful job of intertwining these facts within the text.

At the end of the story, One Crazy Summer, written by Rita Williams-Garcia, the eleven-year-old character Delphine is told by her mother Cecile to, “Be eleven while you can.”  Although these words are not spoken to Turtle in this story, I believe that the same message can be taken.  When Turtle finally allows herself to break down in tears, “And I can’t help it; I start crying.  I cry for everything—for poor Smokey getting burned up by those boys, for every mean word some kid said to me, for all the times one of Mama’s fellas raised our hopes and dashed them.  Most of all, I cry for my poor dumb heart for secretly believing that Mama and Archie and me could be a real family…Mama’s drowning an she’s dragging me under with her, and this time there’s no one to rescue me…” I think she realizes that she is only eleven and that she cannot take care of her mother.  Turtle does get her happy ending—although it is not the one she always imagined.  I feel it is even better—she gets her family and the chance to be eleven.

Moon Over Manifest

Written by Clare Vanderpool

There is much about history that remains a mystery to us all. 

Have you ever wished that you could be a part of the past?  Have you ever hoped that for just one moment, you could experience history first-hand?  That you could go back in time and really feel what it was like to be around during “the olden days?”

I have.

Simply put, history fascinates me—but not just reading about it in a history textbook.  It is the stories of the people that fascinate me the most.  And not necessarily the “important” people either—it’s the everyday folks.  The people who could have been my neighbors or friends—had I been around when they were. 

My grandmother tells me stories of when she came to Ellis Island from Italy at the age of eighteen.  Nobody knows for sure when my father’s family came to America from Ireland, but most in my family think it was during the Potato Famine in the mid-eighteen hundreds.  I have heard so many stories growing up about the lives of my ancestors.  It’s quite interesting to delve into your family tree—but I have a family tree to dig into.  What happens when you are not sure who your mother is, or if you even really know your father the way you thought you always had?

In the historical fiction novel, Moon Over Manifest, author Clare Vanderpool is able to successfully incorporate pieces of the past from World War I and The Great Depression through the story of Abilene Tucker, a twelve year-old girl looking for her place in the world and trying to found out more about who her father is and ultimately, where she came from.

It does not take long for Abilene to discover a hidden cigar box underneath the floorboard in the room she is staying in at Shady Howard’s place.   I look at items and objects from the past and not only see a story but smell a mystery—I’m sure Abilene was thinking the same thing.  From the moment she opens that cigar box filled with trinkets and old letters from 1918, I was hooked.  I just had to find out more.  Who is this Ned guy?  And Jinx?  Will one of them turn out to be her father?  I had bundles of questions—and I could not flip the pages fast enough to find out the answers. 

Vanderpool keeps the story moving by writing from a variety of perspectives—the narration of Abilene in the present (1936), Miss Sadie’s storytelling of 1918, the newspaper column written by Hattie Mae from 1918, and the letters written to Jinx by Ned Gillen from 1918.  Through the variety of perspectives, we learned a lot about the people living in Manifest, Kansas in both 1918 and how they related to those in 1936.  Through the stories told, newspaper clippings, and letters from Ned, we are able to put the pieces of the puzzle together right along with Abilene.

Being set during two very difficult times in United States History, it was interesting as a reader to get a glimpse of both eras.  Vanderpool helped the setting to come alive with her use of vivid descriptions. 

“There wasn’t much left in the tree fort from previous dwellers.  Just an old hammer and a few rusted tin cans holding some even rustier nails.  A couple of wood crates with the salt girl holding her umbrella painted on top.  And a shabby plaque dangling sideways on one nail.”

Or,

“Sitting on the floor, Eva played with her set of colorful nesting dolls, removing one hollowed-out and brightly painted doll from inside the other, while everyone waited for someone to speak.”

She also helps place us in the time period with the activities and actions of the townspeople.  For example, Manifest was a mining town and much of the communities activities were based around the mine.  Adeline would also often come up with a rhyme to help her get through something difficult.  In college, I learned about the Spanish Influenza.  I remember watching a video of children jumping rope and singing,

“I had a little bird, her name was Enza.  I opened up the window, and In-flu-Enza!”

Every time Adeline would make up a rhyme, this familiar one would come back in my mind.  It reminded me of the time period and of skipping rope—a common past time. 

As Vanderpool mentions in her acknowledgements and her author’s note at the end of the book, there is much of this story that is fiction and some that stems from fact.  Manifest is based on a real town called Frontenac, Kansas where the author’s grandparents were from.  I also found it interesting to find out that Ivan DeVore and Velma the chemistry teacher were real people.  In an interview on YouTube, Vanderpool discusses how she got the idea for the character of Sister Redempta.

I think what is so enjoyable about this book is that you do not have to be fully informed on World War I or the Great Depression in order to enjoy this story.  During this day and age, I think all are in at least some way familiar with what war is, regardless of the name.  Reading letters from Ned helps to make war more real to those of us who have never experienced it first hand.  It was sad to read his last letter when he mentions, “There’s been some talk of peace.  Armistice, they call it.” Written on October 6, 1918, two days before his death and only one month before the end of the war, Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. 

In an age where every household, regardless of whether or not they have healthy food in the fridge, probably owns two televisions and a Play Station, it may be hard for some to imagine the Depression.  This story helps remind us how simplistic things used to be and how appreciative people were for what they had.  Shady’s hard and burnt biscuits were not the best, but they kept the stomach full. 

Adeline found out a lot of answers that summer of 1936, and so did we.  She tied up many loose ends by the end of the story and made me want to go back and reread the book with my new perspective in tow.  Vanderpool was also successful in making me want to go back and read up on the Depression and World War I.  I think this is probably a sign of a well-written historical fiction book.