ISBN:0-316-01369-2
Pages:229 p
Genre: Coming-of-age stories; Diary novels; Native American fiction; Pacific Northwest teenage literature; Realistic fiction
Interest Level:7-12
Reading Level:4
Subjects: Race Relations
Reader's Annotation: Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Summary: Exploring Indian identity, both self and tribal, Alexie's first young adult novel is a semiautobiographical chronicle of Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, a Spokane Indian from Wellpinit, WA. The bright 14-year-old was born with water on the brain, is regularly the target of bullies, and loves to draw. He says, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He expects disaster when he transfers from the reservation school to the rich, white school in Reardan, but soon finds himself making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team. Meeting his old classmates on the court, Junior grapples with questions about what constitutes one's community, identity, and tribe. The daily struggles of reservation life and the tragic deaths of the protagonist's grandmother, dog, and older sister would be all but unbearable without the humor and resilience of spirit with which Junior faces the world. The many characters, on and off the rez, with whom he has dealings are portrayed with compassion and verve, particularly the adults in his extended family. Forney's simple pencil cartoons fit perfectly within the story and reflect the burgeoning artist within Junior. Reluctant readers can even skim the pictures and construct their own story based exclusively on Forney's illustrations. The teen's determination to both improve himself and overcome poverty, despite the handicaps of birth, circumstances, and race, delivers a positive message in a low-key manner. Alexie's tale of self-discovery is a first purchase for all libraries.—Chris Shoemaker, New York Public Library --Chris Shoemaker (Reviewed September 1, 2007) (School Library Journal, vol 53, issue 9, p190)
Reviews and Awards:Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, Fiction and Poetry California Young Reader Medal, Young Adult Delaware Diamonds, High School Great Lakes Great Books Award (Michigan),Grades 9-12 National Book Award for Young People's Literature New York Times Notable Books - Children's Books, 2007 School Library Journal Best Books, 2007 Texas Tayshas Reading Lists: 2008 YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2008 YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults and Hard Knock Life (2010) BookTalks
No comments:
Post a Comment