1958 Honor - Gone-Away Lake

 

Hrumph! I would not have thought this book would have been a Newbery contender. I found it tedious, shallow, and totally without a decent plot.

In a creative writing class I once took, I learned that there are several forms used within a piece. Exposition (The girl skipped along cheerfully over the iced-covered pond), Description (Her titian ringlets contrasted nicely against her red sunburnt shoulders, and the springy coils bounced in time with her merry cavorting.) Dialogue ("Oh my!" she said to her pet cricket, "It seems I can feel the ice shift under my little feet!") Action (Crack! Smack! Wham! sounded as the ice broke!) It felt to me as if I constantly shuffled through the pages of Gone-Away Lake wading through description after eccentric description, wondering if I might be finally stumbling upon a bit of interesting plot to tie it all together, but alas, it was not to be.

Gone-Away Lake, by Elizabeth Enright, is basically a summer vacation story of 10 year old Portia, her little brother, Foster, and their older cousin Julian. Portia and Julian are out exploring through the woods and swamp and stumble upon a little abandoned neighborhood of summer houses that has been forgotten by everyone else. It was deserted after the lake receded into marsh long ago. But there are two elderly residents who continue to make a home there, relying on gardens, gathering, and aquiring things from the other rotting houses. It sounds a little creepy, but it's not. It's undendingly cheerful, eccentric, and full of buccolic charms as the two children sneak away every day to visit them.

There is one brief moment of scare when little Foster tries to follow them and gets stuck in the bog. But he is promptly rescued by the elderly gentleman resident, which leads to a general reveal about their presence. Thankfully, all the grownups instantly fall in love with the old man and woman when they bring the little boy back to his parents, and things generally improve for all concerned from this point on.

I can think of two non-Newbery books off-hand that were written along similar themes at about the same year (1957) that were more exciting, interesting, memorable, and re-readable than this one. (No Children No Pets, and The Ghost Boat.) Its weak plot could be forgiven if it were character driven, but alas, not much meaningful developement there either.

There was one chapter that really stood out to me, though I expect it was intended to just be one of the many stories of the past that was told to Portia and Julian, and that was The Summer Cats. Long ago, one of the more intimidating and obnoxious residents was discovered to have a custom of acquiring "summer cats." She would stop by a farmhouse on the way there, select a couple of kittens, enjoy them all summer, and then just before she went to her city home, she would take them by the vet to have them chloroformed.

How horrifying!

Although this book may appeal to some readers, I don't believe I would have especially enjoyed it when I was young, and today I was just anxious to finish it- no small task at 256 pages.

I bought this copy at Goodwill for probably a buck fifty.

 

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1934 - Invincible Louisa

This book by Cornelia Meigs is a biography of Louisa. And what other Louisa would that be but Louisa May Alcott? Most well-known by her books Little Women and Little Men, the follow-up novel, Louisa had an interesting life, full of poverty on one hand, full of love and family on the other. She came of age during the American Civil War, which had a great impact on her, and rubbed shoulders with some of the literary greats of the day, such as Nathanial Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Henry Thoreau.

If you have read Little Women, much of Louisa's story will seem familar to you. Not identical, but very familiar. She was one of four daughters in a poor household raised by a steadfast mother and a father with lofty ideals and high ideas. He was so concerned with giving charity, that his own poor family often did without. One part especially rankled me. He was considering going the Shaker way with a friend, leaving behind his carnal relationship with his wife and family. His long-suffering wife protested, so he capitulated, but then fell into a depression. In despair, his wife, Abba Alcott, tucked her pride aside and contacted the friend to say that her husband, Bronson, was free to go after all. But thankfully, the friend was leaving for Europe and the Shaker plan was over.

Louisa feels the burden of helping to provide for her family and not being dependent on them for her sustenance. She tries her hand at writing, with some small success, but it is only when her collection of "Hospital Sketches" is published that she becomes well-known and on her way as a writer.

When the Civil War broke out, Louisa felt a great desire to help with the cause and volunteered as a nurse at a military hospital in Washington. She gained a great deal of life experience, but her health suffered greatly, and after that, she was never quite as strong as she had been. She was always sending home stories of the men and boys she tended to, which were eventually collected into the book, Hospital Sketches.

Invincible Louisa covered about all of Louisa's life, both before she became famous, and after Little Women was published, which changed the fortunes of the whole Alcott clan. But I found myself reading more quickly, less carefully, after she had achieved her success than how her life led up to that point.

You can tell that the writing is a little old fashioned, compared to today's writing styles, but is still very readable. Some parts seemed quaint, making effort to not be sensational.

Louisa Alcott had lovers during her varied life, that much we know. (though I'm not sure the author means that in the modern, carnal sense) ...She has been less frank about the others, so that who they were and just what she thought of them are secrets of her own which prying eyes have no right to investigate, not even in the name of her cherished fame.

Huh? None of our business? Well!

I enjoyed Little Women; it is a great book, though I am not a rabid fan. I think that real devotees would highly enjoy this biography. Another interesting facet to the book is the seeing the ideals and philosophies of the Alcotts, specific to the historical times they lived in.

The cover sort of bugged me, just because I feel that the illustration, while attractive, doesn't quite portray a young woman of the 1860's. Her dress looks "almost right," but her hair makes me think more of the 1980's. And the book says that she used a lap writing desk. That would have been an interesting, rather than traditional prop in the cover illustration.

I got this book for fifty cents at the thrift store.

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2010 - When You Reach Me

I ran across this book the other day when I was skimming the titles in the children's book section at my local Goodwill. Hmm, kind of an ambiguous title. The spine said Yearling Newbery. Hadn't heard of it or the author, Rebecca Stead before. I pulled it out, thinking that it was an honor book. But no, there was that golden seal. Why not? So I put it in my cart.

I thought I was going to get a real-life coming of age story. Twelve-year old girl, her single mom, living in an apartment in the city, the mom's dreams of getting ahead a little bit by winning a tv game show. It seemed to start out that way, but with the strange plot device of the girl, Miranda, writing the book as a letter or story to an as-yet unknown character.

A little bit of a mystery is like a little bit of a fishhook, catching your mind and attention, just a little bit at first. But then the hook begins to set, and the line plays out, and you get a delicious anticipation of how and when it will all be made clear. The clues are there, and you think you might know what's up, but are always aware that the author hasn't given enough away that she can't end it with something you didn't anticipate. In this manner, it reminds me of The Westing Game, another Newbery book. It might remind you of another book too, but I'm not going to give anything away. You will have to read this yourself!

I paid $1.49 for this at Goodwill.

2000 - Bud, Not Buddy

This book, by Christopher Paul Curtis, languished on my bookshelf for awhile before I got around to reading it. It looked like a meaningful book, grounded in reality rather than a nice escapist fantasy piece, which is where my mood often seemed to be. Finally I picked it up and began. The first sentences hooked me.

"Here we go again. We were all standing in line waiting for breakfast when one of the caseworkers came in and tap-tap-tapped down the line. Uh-oh, this meant bad news, either they'd found a foster home for somebody or somebody was about to get paddled."

An orphan story! Orphan stories have lots of good possibilities, and it looked like the action was going to start right away. Two important facts emerge by the middle of the second page. The Great Depression is going on. An orphan is in a precarious position during this economically devastating era. And Bud has a confident sense of self, as he politely corrects the caseworker, "It's Bud, not Buddy, ma'am."

Predictibly, the foster parents that Bud is sent to are abusive, along with their rotten little son who likes to torture all the "street urchins" his parents take in. It doesn't take Bud long to realize he is better off on the lam than with these people, and so he escapes. He knows he cannot go back to the orphanage; they can hardly afford to feed the ones there. But Bud is resourceful and manages to take some kind of care for himself and spend wonderful moments in the public library.

But all along, he has the idea of a plan. In his precious suitcase resides a flyer. His mother had regarded it as precious and special before she died, and so does Bud. The flyer advertises a show featuring a jazz musician and his band. The boy has become convinced that the musician is his dad and begins to plan how to go to where the band is and present himself as the man's son.

I like Bud. I like his moxie. He is intelligent and practical, and is willing to risk to get what he wants.

A young reader can get a very good feeling for that era in our country's history by reading this book, and enjoying a good story with a nice ending at the same time.

I picked this up for a buck fifty at Goodwill.

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1950 - The Door in the Wall

The Door in the Wall, by Marguerite de Angeli is a slim, inviting book of only 121 pages, but it uses those few pages to open a world of knights and monks and medieval life through the character of the boy, Robin.

Robin was the son of a nobleman, born to a life of the higher class, and he was on the verge of taking the first step into his own manhood, at the age of ten being sent away to live in the household of another knight. There he would serve his liege lord and learn all the ways of knighthood. His father was off to fight the Scots, and his mother was leaving to assist the Queen, who was in ill health. Unfortunately, the day after they left and before he left for the knight's household, a malady struck the boy, which left him sick, his legs paralyzed and his back bent. Arrangements were further complicated by the plague, which made communications spotty.

Into this situation, a traveling monk, Brother Luke, arrives and takes the boy with him back to St. Mark's, where he can be cared for until other arrangements can be made. Robin is a little sulky, a little uncooperative, and a bit of self-importance rests upon him, but he is also bright and energetic, and he rises to the challenges of learning how to navigate the world with a bent back and useless legs. The monks are patient and understanding, treat him respectfully but help him understand some of his situations from a higher point of view

What Robin worries most about is, what now is his place in the world? How can he become a knight with useless legs? Will his father be ashamed of him when he returns and sees what has become of his boy?

Because this tale takes place during the time of castles and fortressed quarters, protective walls rise across the way one might want to go. Robin is assured by Brother Luke that one only needs to follow the wall long enough, and a door would appear. Robin finds this to be true literally, when he effects a daring mission to help rescue the besieged holding where he is staying, and he also realizes it is true in regards to his own physical condition. As he came upon and walked along the wall of his limitations, he looked for and found the doors that opened into new meaning and purpose for his own life.

This is a heartwarming story with plenty of excitement and adventure. At first, I felt a little annoyed at how thoughtlessly Robin acted in his self-importance, but I realized that first off, he's just a boy of ten, and that's often the way kids are. And that was certainly the class attitude of the times, so I appreciated the realism. Robin did grow in his maturity and humility, but kept the self-confidence of his status.

The cover art was obviously updated for this edition, and I don't care for it. In fact, that was one reason I'd put off reading it. Somehow, the boy looks like a modern youth, and the monk and the minstrel are depicted comically, giving you the impression of a completely different sort of story. The interior artwork, by the author, fits the story better.

 

I bought this book at the thrift store for a buck fifty.

 

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1945 - Rabbit Hill

In a way, it was an positive experience to read a Newbery Book that made Gay Neck and Onion John seem like gripping thrillers, but in another way, reading Rabbit Hill made me feel as if I had wasted 45 minutes of my life. Yes, 45 minutes. Or maybe it was 30. I skimmed. Which was really easy to do and not lose much of what was going on.

Let me give you a synopsis. (Possible spoiler alert, if that can be possible)

All the animals of the meadow, who get along in good harmony, carnivores included, find out that "Folks" re moving to the old deserted farmhouse. Will they be good Folks who plant, or bad Folks who do not? Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak, etc. (Yak is a substitute word for all the inane, boring, high-falutin', dialect, anthropomorphic, tedious, chatty discussion all the critters have amongst themselves while they wonder.)

Yay! The Folks are good Folks! They plant, and don't harm the animals! In fact, they nurse Mother's darling bunny, Little Georgie, back to health after they run over him! (While this part of the story may seem like it has excitement potential, trust me, the tedious animal conversations and reactions ensure it never gets much momentum.)

And the coup de gras of the tale, the Folks erect a statue of St. Francis of Assisi in a clearing, ensuring the message of the book is not lost in the story.

In my opinion, this would have worked tolerably well for a much shorter children's picture book. I expect that for some, this might be a much beloved book from their childhood past, but for me, I can't see it.

I got this book from the thrift store for probably less than a buck.

 

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2006 - Criss Cross

I did know that Criss Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins, was surely going to be a good or worthy book because, Hey! It's a Newbery Book! But I just kept putting off reading it. There were others in my stack of Newbery books to read first, books that looked more exciting, more escapist, more interesting. I'm not an adolescent having growing pains and worrying about boys and love and stuff, so I didn't know how well I would enjoy it. But I shouldn't have worried.
Criss Cross covers a span of couple months or so in the lives of a group of friends and acquaintances, most around 14 years old. Although the reader is let into the thinking of most of the characters, the focus is mostly on Debbie and Hector. They both have what most 14 year olds have on their minds. Who am I? Will I find love? Why can't I feel more confident? But this is not a novel wallowing in angst, this is a sweet, subtle observation of the changes and growing up that the teens experience.
Criss Cross is the name of the friends' favorite radio station. When it comes on, they pile into Lenny's parents old truck, turn on the radio and enjoy it together. Criss Cross is also how the friends' lives and various activities connect and cross with each other. The narrative bounces around from kid to kid, telling events from each one's point of view, second person. Unexpected changes of pace, from ultra-short chapters to chapters told mostly in pictures keep the story lively.
One thing I found strange and a little hard to figure out was, why would the author place her story in the late 60's - early 70's? It isn't a "look back," from an adult remembering her youth in those days. There are bell bottoms, polyester, Promotional encyclopedias from the grocery store, and tanning sessions in the back yard. They aren't the point of anything, just the setting. So I wondered why not put your characters into a modern setting? Because it was more familiar to the author? Because it had a better chance of remaining relevant to kids if it was way old rather than 10 years old? Puzzling to me. I had to re-check the copyright date.
Usually, I find multiple viewpoints in the same book to be a flaw for my tastes. But it works for this book. While I don't think it is the best Newbery on the block, I think it is indeed very worthy, and would recommend it.
I picked up Criss Coss at Goodwill for $1.49.

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