THE MOURNING WARS by Karen Steinmetz

Special Feature: Review by a High School Student

Steinmetz, Karen. The Mourning Wars. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-59643-290-1. $18.99 US.

The main character of the book is Eunice, a.k.a. Marguerite Gannestenawi. Eunice lives with her family in Deerfield, Massachusetts before she is taken as a captive to Kahnawake. Her father, Reverend Williams, and other families are also taken captive by the Maqua. The tribe’s Atironta and Kenniontie are to be her step-parents; they lost their own daughter, so Eunice, now called A'onote, is to take her place. While with the Maqua, A'onote befriends Gaianniana and Joanna. During her first Green Corn Festival, A'onote is officially adopted into the Turtle Clan. There she meets a boy named Arosen, who is her friend Gaianniana's cousin. Arosen is to become A'onote's husband.
For some time, A'onote hasn't received any new information about her family. But after receiving Kenniontie's [her Natie American father] favor for her wedding with Arosen, she heard that her father had been looking for her. Then, after some time in Kahnawake, Eunice meets her father, Reverend Williams. He promises to get her back. She also learns her brother Joseph has been freed and become a trader. She is forced to choose between her new peaceful life, or go back to things as before in Deerfield.

I found the book interesting because I am quite fascinated with subjects concerning Native Americans. I was captivated by the two worlds Eunice lives in, the way she adapts to her new surroundings, and the choices she has to make..

Some strengths of the book lie in the emotions Eunice feels. That Eunice is, in a way, waiting for someone from her family, especially her father, helps to shape story line. I don't think of this as a weakness of the book, but I do think the clans -- turtle, bear, or wolf -- don't really have anything to do with the story.

Yes, I would recommend this book to people my age because, in some ways, the main character's life might correlate with the relationship between them and their parents. I would recommend it to someone my age or maybe someone older because a younger kid might not be able to understand the situation Eunice is in.

Steven Maglaya, 9th grade, 14 years old

LEMONADE: AND OTHER POEMS SQUEEZED FROM A SINGLE WORD by Bob Raczka

Raczka, Bob. Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word. Illus. Nancy Doniger. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-59643-541-4. $16.99 US 

The inside front cover describe Raczka’s concept as “part anagram, part rebus, part riddle.” He takes one word, like “ran” and lines the letters up to form the poem

Rain 
i
ra n
in

It feels a bit like the board game MadGab, where you have to sound out the words to figure out the real meaning. Often, it’s difficult to find where the word breaks are supposed to be! Kids who enjoy puzzles will enjoy lining up his letters and trying to read the puzzle-poems. The “answers,” that is, the puzzle written in full word form, is printed on the back page. The illustrations are whimsical and simple, painted entirely in black, grey, and red.

I think the greater value of the book, more so than just solving Raczka’s puzzles, lies in inspiring kids to create their own anagram single word poems. A great gift for puzzle-loving elementary school children!

Marisa Behan

Review: SEVEN FATHERS by Ashley Ramsden

Ramsden, Ashley. Seven Fathers. Illus. by Ed Young. New York: Roaring Book Press, 2011. $16.99/$19.50 Can. ISBN: 978-1-59643-544-5.

Ashley Ramsden’s retelling of this Norwegian folktale evokes a deep response from the reader. A winter traveler, nearly at death with exhaustion, stumbles upon a house, “blazing with lights,” a beacon of hope amid the snow and cold. Each man he meets at the house sends him further in to “the father of the house,” each one older than the last, until finally he is speaking with a speck of dust, whose response, “Yes, my son,” clues the reader into the broader spiritual element of the text. In a moment of mysterious heavenly splendor, all the men of the house, now equal in age, join the traveler in a magnificent feast.

Ed Young’s combination of cut paper collage, paint splattering, and pastel create multi-dimensional illustrations that both leap off the page and draw the reader further into the folktale. The illustrations, while sometimes abstract, are evocative – one can almost feel the temperature change from the bitter cold of the Norwegian winter to the warm indoors as the traveler proceeds further into the house.

The metaphor of spiritual quest might not be understood by very young children, but the endearing warmth and comfort of the story, particularly the ending, in which the weary traveler lies down on a bed, saying a prayer of thanks that he had, “at last, found the true father of that house,” lends itself nicely as a bedtime story to be treasured and re-read.

Marisa Behan

Review: BANDITS by Johanna Wright

Wright, Johanna. Bandits. New York: Roaring Brook, 2011. ISBN 1-59643-583-4. Hardback $16.99. Ages 4-8

Wright presents a lovable raccoon family as they gather food stuffs from garbage cans and fruit trees around human homes after dark. There are three main things to like about this book: the lyrical text, the flowing lines and colorful, textured full page illustration, and the portrayal of a family working together harmoniously and having fun. Critics might complain the book implies that it’s okay to steal; they need to understand the animal world first, and then they need to relax. Johanna Wright has done no wrong with Bandits.

Marie Soriano