Sonya Hartnett is an internationally acclaimed author of many
award-winning novels, including THURSDAY'S CHILD, WHAT THE BIRDS
SEE, STRIPES OF THE SIDESTEP WOLD, THE SILVER DONKEY, THE GHOST's
CHILD, BUTTERFLY, and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book SURRENDER.
She was the winner of the 2008 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the
world's largest award for lifetime achievement in children's and
youth literature. Sonya Hartnett lives in Australia.
Andrea Dezso is a visual artistwho works across a broad range of
media including drawing, cutpaper, embroidery, sculpture,
installation, animation, and large-scale murals. She is Assistant
Professor of Art at Hampshire College in Amherst, MAand lives in
Amherst and New York City."
This somber yet not hopeless fable set during WWII offers a
haunting portrait of families, human and otherwise, torn
apart...Lindgren Award-winner Hartnett combines powerful prose with
magical realism to heighten this setting and develop the
personalities of the animals that the boys meet, who begin to speak
after another round of bombing.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
This beautiful and sad book will stay with readers long after the
story is done.
School Library Journal"
"A heartbreakinf, magical story of life and liberty." - THe
Bookseller
"A moving and original story witht timeless relevance." The Daily
Mail (U.K.)
"Hertnett's prose weaves its magical, poignant spell." Readings
(Australia) -- Quote
Gr 7-10- Like a 20th-century version of Avi's Crispin, who fled across 14th-century England, 12-year-old Andrej is without parents and adrift in Europe during World War II with his younger brother, Tomas, and infant sister in tow. Without destination or an understanding of the war that has divided them from their nomadic Roma clan, the siblings travel by night and sleep by day, sensing danger at every juncture. Andrej scavenges for their food and necessities for the baby. One moon-drenched evening, the trio arrives at a zoo in the ruins of a bombed village. They encounter a menagerie of talking animals, trapped in zoo cages with neither keeper nor keys. Throughout a surreal evening, the boys and animals share life stories. Through the animals, Andrej and Tomas begin to understand the nature of man and war. This understanding, however, offers more questions than answers. Richard Aspel's, rich and sonorous voice creates memorable characterizations for the many humans and animals in Sonya Harnett's novel (Candlewick, 2011), including German-speaking soldiers; his Aussie pronunciation requires a keen ear. Listeners who persevere will be rewarded with a stellar performance. With some aspects of fable, minimal dialogue, and heavy use of allegory, this artfully crafted look at the character of man and the concept of freedom may have limited popular appeal.-Lisa Taylor, Ocean County Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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