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"Ereth's
Birthday"
[OCT. 11, 2000] “Ereth’s
Birthday," Avi; illustrated by Brian Floca, HarperCollins
Publishers, 2000, 180 pages. Ages 8-12.
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Erethizan
Dorsatum, or Ereth, is a cantankerous porcupine who has "a
flat face with a blunt black nose and fierce, grizzled
whiskers" and lives in Dimwood Forest near his best friend
Poppy, a deer mouse.
When
Ereth woke up and rattled his untidy quills, he remembered it was
his birthday, and he hoped Poppy had a special celebration planned
for the day. Ereth went in search of Poppy and could only find her
11 very active children. It was obvious to Ereth that no one cared
about his birthday, and he would have to go in search of his own
special birthday treat — salt. From this moment on, Ereth’s
life and his story become very interesting!
The
salt is located in a fur hunter’s cabin. On his way to the cabin
Ereth finds Leaper the fox injured in one of the hunters’ traps.
Leaper begs Ereth to take care of her three young kits if she
doesn’t make it back home. Ereth is no mood to take
responsibility for young children, and when Ereth gets upset or
disturbed he has an unusual way of expressing himself.
"Jellied walrus warts," "chipmunk tail
squeezers," "lazy lizard lips," he sputtered to
himself as he promised to care for the babies and started on his
way to look for their den.
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This
is a wonderful story of the bond that forms between a grouchy
porcupine and the fun-loving foxes. The foxes figure out a way to
set off the hunters’ traps without getting hurt, and Ereth helps
the kits find food which Leaper had stored in various dens in the
forest. A hungry fisher, Marty, is stalking Ereth throughout the
book and adds the element of danger to the plot.
Floca’s
black-and-white sketches throughout add a bit of charm to the story
that grabs your attention from the very beginning. Ereth will never
forget this birthday and neither will the reader.
More
books by Avi include other tales from Dimwood Forest, mystery,
fantasy and historical fiction.
[Pat
Schlough, Lincoln Public Library]
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"Postcards
to Father Abraham"
[OCT. 11, 2000] “Postcards
to Father Abraham," Catherine Lewis, Atheneum Books, 2000, 288
pages. Ages 12 and up.
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Meghan
Hartman is 16, and running is her life, or it had been in the
past. Cancer and the loss of part of her right leg have destroyed
all hope of ever becoming a great runner.
Meghan’s
first-person story is set in an Illinois hospital in 1972 as she
shares all of her anger and frustration with the reader. We also
learn about her brother, who is an emotionally shattered Vietnam
veteran; her younger sister; her father; and her school friends.
As
a school project, Meghan is studying the life of Abraham Lincoln
and decides he is the only person to whom she can express her true
feelings. She expresses these feelings throughout the book by
writing "postcards" to Mr. Lincoln. She knows the pain
and circumstances in his life and feels he will understand her,
and by writing she can gain strength to overcome her own pain and
anger.
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Flashbacks
of school experiences, her illness and therapy are also shared by
Meghan as she tells her story.
The
title is what first drew me to this book, but as read I was drawn
into Meghan’s life and realized this was a young adult full of
humor and determination who would definitely make a difference in
her world.
This
is Catherine Lewis’ first young adult novel, but I’m looking
forward to the next one.
[Pat
Schlough, Lincoln Public Library]
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