Fiction ages 8-12
Phoenix, Upside Down by Elizabeth Scarboro
Sticks by Joan Bauer
Yang the Third and Her Impossible Family by Lensey Namioka.
Illustrated by Kees de Kiefte
NOTES FROM THE WINDOWSILL ISSN 1078-8697
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Vol. 4, No. 7d Children's Fiction, ages 8-12 7/19/96
__ Phoenix, Upside Down_ by Elizabeth Scarboro. Viking, 1996
(0-670-86335-1) $14.99
Reminiscent in tone of Jean Little's books, this is a likeable,
intimate portrait of a girl going through a rough patch in her life:
Jamie's family has moved from Boulder to Phoenix, her pet has died and
all the rules seem different at her new school. As Jamie starts to make
friends, including Celia, an understanding old woman who likes
gardening, and Elise, who enjoys hanging upside down from trees, she
learns to like being where she is. There's no big climax or lesson
learned, just believable, everyday ups and downs; lacking the
heaviness that afflicts most "problem novels" for middle graders,
_Phoenix, Upside Down_ also has far more genuine emotional resonance.
__ Sticks_ by Joan Bauer. Delacorte, 1996 (0-385-32165-1) $15.95
In her first book for younger readers, following her young adult
novels _Squashed_ and _Thwonk_, Bauer once again explores what it means
to be seriously dedicated to a goal. Ten-year-old Mickey is determined
to follow in his dead father's footsteps and become a pool champion
and the first step is win the tournament for ten- to thirteen-year-olds.
But that will mean beating Buck, a bully whose taunts can send Mickey
into a sweaty panic. As Mickey works ferociously hard and overcomes
every serious obstacles against him--his mother's reluctance to let his
father's old friend coach him; a sprained hand from fighting with Buck--he
still has to face the hardest hurdle of all: keeping focused when the
pressure is on.
An intriguing look at the psychology of competition, _Sticks_ shows that
to be a champion Mickey must not have _ganas_, the driving desire to
win, but he must also be able to face losing. His couch tells him
"you can't learn to win, until you learn how to lose," and Mickey
himself finally concludes that "losing can only hurt you if you open
the door and let it in." Still, readers will relish his eventual
triumph against his enemy.
Although it isn't as screamingly funny as Bauer's novels, _Sticks_ is
another good example of her ability to make us care about what her
protagonists care about, whether it's raising giant pumpkins or
hitting balls with a stick. It's also an appealing portrait of
small-town life, peopled with a colorful (if somewhat archetypically
familiar) cast of characters--including Mickey's friend Arlen, whose
genius in math is very important to Mickey's success. The ending is a
bit much, with a positive outcome for every minor subplot, but overall
this is an enjoyable and potentially inspiring story.
__ Yang the Third and Her Impossible Family_ by Lensey Namioka.
Illustrated by Kees de Kiefte. Little Brown, 1995 (0-316-59726-0)
$15.95; Dell Yearling, 1996 (0-440-41231-5) $3.99 pb
(reprinted from the hardcover review, volume 3, number 4a)
Her mother compliments people by telling them how old and fat they
look, her big brother isn't interested in sports and doesn't care who
knows it, her little brother is known as Sprout because he eats bean
sprout sandwiches instead of peanut butter and jelly. . . these are
just a few of the members of Mary (aka Yingmei) Yang's impossible
immigrant family. Seeking American assimilation with a vengeance,
Mary is perpetually embarrassed by her family's cultural errors and
general indifference to peer pressure--until she learns that some
Americans also value individuality and self-confidence. This sequel
to the delightful _Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear_ is another
lighthearted family story that brings a great deal of humor to the
problems of young immigrants, although this time the lessons are laid
on a bit thick and the supposed superiority of American values is left
almost unquestioned. Quirky line drawings add an off-beat, hip flavor
to the story.