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Janet Taylor Lisle's books for young readers have received the Newbery Honor Award (Afternoon of the Elves), the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction (The Art of Keeping Cool), Holland's Zilveren Griffel, and Italy's Premio Andersen Award, among other honors. A graduate of Smith College and former journalist, Janet lives in Rhode Island and often draws on Rhode Island history in her work. Visit her online at JanetTaylorLisle.com.
Erica O'Rourke is the author of Dissonance, Resonance, and the Torn trilogy, which includes Torn, Tangled, and Bound. She lives near Chicago with her family. Visit her at EricaORourke.com and on Twitter: @Erica_ORourke.
Following the tradition of Summer of My German Soldier, this wrenching WWII novel traces the relationship between two 13-year-old American boys and a German-born expressionist painter reputed to be a spy. After narrator Robert's father enlists as a pilot, Robert, his mother and younger sister move in with Robert's paternal grandparents in a small town on the coast of Rhode Island. Robert despises his hot-tempered grandfather, but finds a companion in cousin Elliot, a sensitive boy with a remarkable talent for drawing. Though Robert introduces Elliot as having "mastered the art of keeping cool," Elliot's actions belie his anxieties and nervous tics (e.g., he doesn't fit in at school, and he chews on the skin between his thumb and forefinger whenever he's troubled); and the 1950s phrase seems out of sync with the time period. When Elliot befriends the German painter, Abel Hoffman, Robert fears for his cousin's safety and the unleashing of his grandfather's wrath if the friendship were discovered. However, Robert is unprepared for the sudden explosion of hatred by the townspeople when their suspicions against Abel are aroused. As apt at writing historical fiction as she is at penning fantasy, Lisle (The Lost Flower Children; Afternoon of the Elves) weaves together an intriguing web of family secrets and wartime fears while encapsulating the wave of patriotism sweeping the nation in the 1940s. The intimate first-person narrative brings universal themes of prejudice and loss to a personal level as the boys and their artist friend discover the destructive power of war on the home front. Ages 10-14. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Gr 6-8-In the spring of 1942, Robert moves with his mother and sister to the coastal village of Sachem's Head, RI, to live with her in-laws. Robert's father is in Europe, fighting with the Royal Air Force against the Germans, and unable to keep up the family farm. The first strange thing Robert notices is his cousin, Elliot, who seems very different from all the other boys, but who has an amazing talent for drawing. But there is more than one mystery in this household. Why will no one talk about Robert's father? And what is Elliot's connection to the strange recluse, a German artist, who lives in the woods? As the days lengthen into summer, Sachem's Head gears up for war, and Robert finds himself confronting growing tensions, both from the fearful villagers and from within his own family. Lisle's novel (Atheneum, 1980) deftly explores the themes of resentment, prejudice, and secrecy in this historical portrait of a child's life in wartime. The fears and questions Robert faces are still relevant today. Charles Carroll's narration is quietly understated, allowing the rhythm and mystery of the author's prose to carry the story. Also included is an author's note, which is not found in some print versions. Along with books by Christopher Paul Curtis and Richard Peck, this novel is a solid addition to historical fiction collections.-Michaela Schied, Indian River Middle School, Philadelphia, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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