When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

Review 5

Willis Holt, Kimberley. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. New York: Dell Yearling, 1999. Print.

Annotation: In 1971, "the fattest boy in the world" visits the small town of Antler, Texas, making a lasting impression on the whole town.



Justification for Nomination: Set in the small town of Antler, Texas,"where nothing happens", the coming of age story of 13 year-old Toby, accompanied by his best friend Cal unfolds. It is the summer of 1971 and Toby and his friend of the same age embark on one adventure after another in the hot, Texas weather. One day, a traveling circus sideshow, featuring "The Fattest Boy in the World", its only act, rolls into town, creating an impact on the boys as well the other townspeople will never forget.

Although this particular novel did not work as closely with major historical time-markers as I anticipated for a historical fiction text, it worked in other nuanced levels to contextualize its specific place and time. The handful of references to the Vietnam war, at times explicitly, but most often implicitly surface with references to Cal's older brother Wayne, serving in the war. In addition, what works to create the sense of a specific time and place are the characters of Antler and the strong sense of community depicted through their interactions.

Kimberly Willis Holt creates memorable, endearing characters that drive the story. After reading the novel, one feels as if they would recognize a Toby or a Cal, or Miss Myrtle Mae or Sheriff Levi and his riding dog, Duke personally. The adventures of Toby and Cal and their run-ins with other townspeople give the story a fast, yet comfortable pace.

In addition to the craftily portrayed characters and plot, this novel resonates with the modern young adult reader with its endearing coming of age story that seems so deeply embedded in the summer of 1971 in Antler, Texas. The issues of how to deal with a dissolving family relationship, loyalty to friends and empathy with those who seem "different" are all depicted tactfully in the novel, making it an exemplary candidate for Mock Printz award


Genre: Historical Fiction, Coming of Age

Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorthea Lange

Review Four

Partridge, Elizabeth. Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorthea Lange. New York: Penguin Putnam. 1998. Print.

Annotation: The biography of the woman who photographed the famous portrait, Migrant Mother.


Justification for Rejection: It is always enlightening to know the back story behind to a widely known piece of art. And to know the story behind a piece art, one needs to know the story of its crafter. The Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorthea Lange is a rich story, filled with a wide spectrum of characters, contributing to moments of adventurous excitement as well as disillusion in Lange's life.

Restless Spirit roughly follows a linear chronology of Dorthea Lange's life. The story opens with one of the most significant days in Lange's photographic career-the day she decided to follow her gut and photograph migrant farmers of a desolate pea farm off the beaten path. It was at this farm Lange captured the image of the Migrant Mother.

What gives Elizabeth Partridge's rendition of Lange's life an interesting edge is that her father worked closely with Lange as her photographic assistant. This acts as a double-edged tool for Partridge in that it provides her with accurate, accessible primary knowledge of Dorthea's life and work. By the same token, however, there are times where the author inserts small bits of personal commentary that feel slightly over-extended for the purposes of a biography. On the other hand, the direct quotes from Lange dispersed throughout the text work to the author's advantage. They mingle well with the biographic description and quick anecdotes of Lange's family life and career, providing an effective authenticity.

The design and format of the book are elegant, clean and the photos are clearly captioned and placed well, enhancing the context of the story.

Although it seems that the life of Dorthea Lange would provide immense possibilities for portraying such an interesting life filled with tension and adventure, the narrative seems to fall flat at times. In addition to this, there is the occasional phrase that comes off as slightly condescending or hyperbolic. In the attempt to direct the novel to a young audience, the language and level of vocabulary feels inconsistent to point of being problematic to the reading experience.

Overall, the story is an interesting read, providing vivid snapshots of Lange's life and work. The narrative also addresses relevant young adult issues like overcoming adversity and pursuing one's dream; Lange passion and activism make her a strong female role model as well. The photography is beautiful and works well with the rest of the text. Unfortunately, the inconsistency with language and vocabulary are enough to distract from the reading experience, thus meriting my nomination for a rejection.


Genre: Non-fiction; biography

Stuck in Neutral

Review Three

Trueman, Harry. Stuck in Neutral. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000. Print.

Annotation: The story of how a 14 year-old boy with cerebral palsy is convinced that his father intends to kill him.

Justification for Nomination: What a fantastic introduction to the genre of Realistic Fiction for Young Adult readers! This book has numerous elements making it a strong, well-rounded nominee for a Mock Printz Award.

Stuck in Neutral, by Terry Trueman, is told from the perspective of a 14 year-old boy named Shawn McDaniel. Shawn has a severe case of cerebral palsy, a condition that allows him zero control over any of his bodily functions, from ability to speak, to eating or going to bathroom, to the simple ability to focus his eyes in one area. On top of his inability to control any of his bodily functions, Shawn suffers from intense, out-of-body-like seizures. Although Shawn has no control over his bodily functions, he is able to hear, comprehend and even remember just about everything he hears. Imagine living in this world: one where you are able to absorb what is going on around you, but completely unable to interact, much less evidence this to others.

This dilemma is the main driving force in in the 114-page novel. At the heart of the story is the classic young adult question of "Who am I?" and "How do I relate to society?". Shawn reevaluates his self-worth through the context of a range of relationships: from his family who understand and love him, to his father and other strangers who truly do not understand Shawn's condition.

Trueman's accessible writing style works on many levels. He creates an an authentic teenage-boy voice, using appropriate colloquialisms in the right places, making the voice believable. At the same time, Trueman is able to communicate mature ideas of self-reflection and self-evaluation in terms of the world outside the self. Trueman sparks insightful, philosophical questioning of what happiness and love are. He masterfully ignites evaluation of mature themes for the young adult audience.

The father of a son who suffers from the same condition as the protagonist, Trueman presents an authentic, enlightening, and fresh character in his portrayal of Shawn McDaniel.

Overall, the novel works well for the middle to early high-school level reader to experience a unique story that deals with timelessly resonant themes of the value of family, happiness, love and the impact of society on the individual (and vice a versa). The hints of ambiguity throughout and especially the unanswered ending make this book a wonderful example of how Realistic Fiction can work to prompt deep, philosophical thought for our young readers who deserve the credit for having the capability to discuss this kind of real-world dilemma.



Genre: Realistic Fiction; Printz Honor Book, 2001

Out of the Dust

Review Two

Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997. Print.

Annotation: The American Dust Bowl, Personified: One Family's Story of Perseverance.




Justification for Nomination: Out of the Dust chronicles a two-year span from 1934 to 1935 in a dusty Oklahoma town, affected by the Great Depression. Written from the perspective a 14 year-old girl, experiences living in the vein of Coming of Age are strongly present. The short, dense poems are exquisitely vivid. Hesse create a powerful portrait of one family's struggle for survival during a trying period of American history.

Presented in first-person, the young, female coming of age story facilitates many significant aspects of young adult developmental issues. From the loss of innocence, to simple day-to-day growing pains and efforts to assert an adult identity are especially resonant with a young adult audience.

Through her wonderfully nuanced craft, Hesse succeeds in capturing a range of intimate experiences and emotions endured by 14 year-old Billie Jo and her small family. The dry, desolate landscape of middle-America is juxtaposed with ordinary day-to-day moments which, in their distilled presentation become magical.

The language, although dense at times, is quite accessible, captivating and tactfully distills the story to its essence.

Out of the Dust is a wonderful text to introduce young adult readers to poetry and the history of the American Dust Bowl. The novel could work well in a high school history class as companion to the more dense nature of history textbooks. Although the story is definitely pinned in a specific time in American history, the coming of age themes addressed in the novel are classically resonant with young adult readers making a strong candidate for a Mock Printz Award.

Genre: Verse Novel; Newberry Award recipient 1998