Ellen Parker finishes fifth grade in 1942 and spends that summer playing with kids on her block, attacking unsuspecting German refugees (they could be spies, she argues), and waiting for her young Uncle Bob to be drafted. When Bob leaves for basic training, Cutler follows Ellen through three more summers as she grows and changes from a tomboy into a young lady. Ellen befriends Lisa-Lotte, the German Jew she had thought was a spy, learns about sex (doesn't believe a word of it), develops breasts. When Uncle Bob returns from Europe, he has also changed. But unlike Ellen's, his is an unnatural transformation caused by the war: from youthful and carefree to morbid and vacant. Still, Ellen is convinced Uncle Bob will recover just as she recovered from her own difficult time. Unfortunately for the story, Ellen is a peevish and unpleasant character, and the people around her are two-dimensional. Especially annoying is her mother, who was married right out of high school, constantly urges Ellen to ``fit in,'' and, as late as 1942, doesn't realize that Hitler is persecuting Jews. Cutler's (Darcy and Gran Don't Like Babies, 1993, etc.) four summers idea is also ill-conceived: Inconclusive events separated by long periods of time result in a disjointed narrative rather than a purposeful whole. Ellen the annoying little girl becomes Ellen the platitudinous teenage sap. So much for happy endings. (Fiction. 10+)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-374-35111-2
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An outstanding new edition of this popular modern classic (Newbery Award, 1961), with an introduction by Zena Sutherland and...
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1990
ISBN: 0-395-53680-4
Page Count: -
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2000
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Navigating this stunning novel requires thought and concentration, but it’s well worth the effort.
Returning to themes she explored so affectingly in Moon Over Manifest (2011), Newbery Medalist Vanderpool delivers another winning picaresque about memories, personal journeys, interconnectedness—and the power of stories.
Thirteen-year-old Jack enters boarding school in Maine after his mother’s death at the end of World War II. He quickly befriends Early Auden, a savant whose extraordinary facility with numbers allows him to “read” a story about “Pi” from the infinite series of digits that follow 3.14. Jack accompanies Early in one of the school crew team’s rowing boats on what Jack believes is his friend’s fruitless quest to find a great bear allegedly roaming the wilderness—and Early’s brother, a legendary figure reportedly killed in battle. En route, Early spins out Pi’s evolving saga, and the boys encounter memorable individuals and adventures that uncannily parallel those in the stories. Vanderpool ties all these details, characters, and Jack’s growing maturity and self-awareness together masterfully and poignantly, though humor and excitement leaven the weighty issues the author and Jack frequently pose. Some exploits may strain credulity; Jack’s self-awareness often seems beyond his years, and there are coincidences that may seem too convenient. It’s all of a piece with Vanderpool’s craftsmanship. Her tapestry is woven and finished off seamlessly. The ending is very moving, and there’s a lovely, last-page surprise that Jack doesn’t know but that readers will have been tipped off about.
Navigating this stunning novel requires thought and concentration, but it’s well worth the effort. (author’s note, with questions and answers, list of resources) (Historical fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-385-74209-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 30, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
