'Postcards from Pismo'

[May 08, 2013]  ^"Postcards from Pismo," by Michael Scotto, illustrated by Dion Williams, Midlandia Press, 2012, 180 pages

Review by
Louella Moreland

Michael Scotto's book "Postcards from Pismo" uses letters, emails and (of course) postcards to tell the story of a young boy named Felix from Pismo Beach, Calif. The letters begin as a class pen pal exchange for Memorial Day as Felix leaves fourth grade. The story ends during his fifth-grade school year. Writing to Lt. Green in Afghanistan allows Felix to explore his feelings about his family, bullies at school and his own brother enlisting in the military.

During the story we only see Felix's correspondences. However, the reader has a good idea of what Lt. Green's writings entail. The format of Felix's writing is also made clear to the reader through the use of different fonts and illustrations. The writing itself is quite perfect in its spelling and punctuation, which detracts from its authenticity, but helps keep the flow of the story going smoothly without the reader having to decode any text.

I did not find the illustrations supplied by Dion Williams very pleasing, however. Williams depicts Asians as rather cartoon characters with large heads and short, muscular trunks. The use of illustrations as postcards or photos was a nice variation for the reader and appropriate to the text.

What I did find pleasing was the voice author Scotto used throughout, putting the reader into the mind and feelings of a boy of this age. Felix has true emotions about school, especially when he is bullied by a classmate. His confusion about his brother's enlistment allows the reader to see how pride mixes with fear when a loved one is going off to war.

Lt. Green's responses to Felix help him work through the events that occur, while giving Felix the assurance that someone is listening. That is, after all, what can be the most difficult situation for young people, especially boys this age. Everyone needs to have their feelings validated. Feelings are never right or wrong. How we handle those feelings determine our values and how the world sees us as a person. The choices Felix makes about his feelings create the character we see on the written page.

The reader is also introduced to the lifestyle of a young person living on the central California coast, an area that may not be familiar to readers living in other parts of the country.

The story itself may provide comfort to young people who have family members in the military or give adults a discussion starter to assist in bringing fears out in the open. Perhaps it will encourage readers to find a soldier with whom to become a pen pal.

For this book and others about military families, come see us at the Lincoln Public Library, 725 Pekin St.

[Text from file received from Louella Moreland, Lincoln Public Library District]

Ms. Lou's blog: lincolnpubliclibraryupdates.blogspot.com