I have read 2 excellent and unusual YA books: The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, and The Braid by Helen Frost.
The Pull of the Ocean is translated from the French and is loosely based on Tom Thumb, by Perrault. The hero of the tale is Yann Doutreleau, a ten-year-old boy no bigger than 2 feet tall. He has six strapping older brothers and they all live in abject, depraved poverty. Yann, though mute, manages to get his brothers to take him to the ocean where he can begin a new, and hopefully better, life. It is told as if a reporter has interviewed all the family members as well as the people he meets on his journey. Very clever and well-written!
The Braid tells the story of very poor people living in the Scotish highlands forced to flee when the landlords throw them out of their shacks. The cross the Ocean and arrive in Canada, sick, poor, and homeless. Two sisters tell their story in poems. One, who stayed behind with her grandmother, and the other who crossed to Canada.
The best news about each book is the length .... short!
Happy Reading,
Lilly, Pel
I just finished reading Echo by by Kate Morgenroth, also short in length and worth checking out.
From Amazon: "In this dark thriller, Edgar Award nominee Kate Morgenroth explores the thin line between reality and illusion inside a troubled young mind."
From SLJ:
"...the book's exploration of how one's memories and perspectives can distort reality is compelling. "
Posted by: Erin | February 19, 2007 at 09:17 PM