|
April 18, 2008
Protagonists learn from the past
Ghosts or spirits feature in three very different publications of interest to younger readers.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
It's always pleasant to find books geared towards younger readers that respect their intelligence enough to be a good read for adults, as well. Happily, all three of the novels reviewed by the Independent in this Passover issue fall into this category, though all won't necessarily appeal to the same audience. The common bond between them is that they all deal with the connection between the past and the present, but that's where the similarity ends.
A twinning ceremony
The Diary of Laura's Twin (Second Story Press) by Kathy Kacer is based on the real-life practice of some synagogues to encourage b'nai mitzvah kids to "share" their ceremony with a Jewish child around their age who lived during the Second World War and the Holocaust.
In the story, Laura is preparing for her bat mitzvah, with all the pressures that brings in addition to her schoolwork and other activities. When her rabbi suggests that she and her fellow b'nai mitzvah students each undertake a twinning project, Laura tries to get out of it, pleading overwork and a lack of time – her bat mitzvah is only weeks away, after all. However, she admits to herself that those are not the real reasons for her hesitancy and, perhaps, her reluctance has to do with the fact that "the thought of finding a child her age who had died would sadden and scare her far too much."
Laura follows her rabbi's advice to meet Mrs. Mandelcorn, whose contact information he provides, before making the final decision about whether or not to do the project. Expecting an old, frail woman, Laura finds Mrs. Mandelcorn to appear "strong and vigorous, even if she was short. She had a warm smile that moved all the way up her face to her twinkling eyes." Mrs. Mandelcorn and Laura get to know each other a bit and Mrs. Mandelcorn gives Laura the diary of a young girl, Sara Gittler, written while Sara was in the Warsaw Ghetto, from 1941-1943.
Once she steels herself to read it, Laura gets drawn into the diary and can't put it down. She learns all about Sara, her family and friends, and their experiences in the ghetto, until their deportation to a death camp. Meanwhile, Laura's friend at school almost gets beaten up by a bully and the Jewish community's cemetery is vandalized, likely by kids at her school. Parallels between Laura's and Sara's life become evident and Laura learns some valuable lessons from the past in order to live fully and ethically in the present.
The Diary of Laura's Twin is a compelling and touching read. It includes many archival photos from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, as well as several brief biographies of real-life heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto resistance fighters and two accounts of real-life twinning ceremonies. There is also a page of resources to which people can refer for more information about the Warsaw Ghetto.
Two cat tribes battle
In the fantasy genre, The Tygrine Cat (Candlewick Press) by Inbali Iserles follows the adventures of a young cat named Mati, whose mother places him on a ship bound for England, in order to save his life before she is killed by an assassin from a rival tribe. Mati must adapt to his new surroundings and try to fit into his new community – eventually he must face the same danger that killed his mother and which threatens not only him, but all the cats of his ancient tribe.
In the promotional material accompanying the release of The Tygrine Cat, Iserles says that she came across the idea for her plot by accident, while flipping through a book on feline breeds, which discussed the nature of the first domestic cat. "I started to ponder this," she says. "What if there had been a conflict between feline dynasties, long before the earliest human being walked the earth? What if warring tribes had fought over the ancient throne of the first cat, calling upon magic in their struggle for power? What if that rivalry still exists today?"
It's Iserle's imaginative response to these types of questions that forms the basis of her mythology-based book and it's a well-written book. While some readers might balk at the cast of cat characters, the story itself is interesting and its themes and morals are directly relevant to human society, past and present.
A deadly, ghostly curse
Another story that requires readers to check their skepticism at the door is The Proof that Ghosts Exist (Key Porter Books) by Carol Matas and Perry Nodelman, but it's wonderfully written and very entertaining – even a bit scary at times.
Molly and Adam Barnett's family is reaching a potentially dangerous milestone: their father's 35th birthday. For generations, Barnett men have died on the day before they turned 35. To try and avoid this tragedy in their own family, the Barnetts head to their remote cottage, where they will be away from the stresses and dangers of the city and where the children – without mom, who has to stay in town to deal with important business – can keep a close eye on their dad.
Of course, nothing is as easy as it seems and Molly and Adam have to piece together the mystery that plagues their family, all the while dealing with ghosts and more tangible threats to their and their father's lives.
The Proof that Ghosts Exist is the first book in the Ghosthunters trilogy so, of course, it leaves readers in the lurch. But anticipation is half the fun, right?
^TOP
|
