 Teenage Henry, with a club foot, a terrible stutter, and dyslexia, is the target of unrelenting bullying. After committing several violent acts at school and at home, he is sent to the Home of Lesser Brethren, a desolate farm for troubled boys, in the middle of the lava fields on the Icelandic coast. The farm is run by the frightening and misguided Reverend Oswald and his loving wife. Henry finds some peace in tending the cows and sheep, but he is lonely and desperate for a friend. Each time he trusts someone, he is betrayed. The prologue explains that the story is a flashback written by Henry’s friend. Not until the end, do we learn who the friend is. This sophisticated and engrossing story of an outcast’s hope is a clear tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince. The poetic language describes moments of tenderness and also unspeakable cruelty. It will transport you to the cold, harsh, yet comforting Icelandic landscape. mjw |
| Title: Boy On The Edge Author: Fridrik Erlings Publisher: Candlewick Copyright: 2012 Original language: Written in English but based on a book the author had previously written in Icelandic. ISBN: 978-0-7636-6680-4 Hardcover pages: 240 Age range: 14 and up Genre: Fiction – novel Book setting: Iceland Author’s ethnicity: Icelandic Author’s residence: Iceland Subjects: Clergy, Club Foot, Dyslexia, Foster Children, Iceland, Northern Europe, Stutter, Teenage Boys |
Boy On The Edge
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German eighth grader, Mike Klingenberg, is a boring kid with no friends. He is left alone for two weeks while his mother is in rehab and his father is away on a “business trip” with his attractive secretary. Andrej Tschichatschow, aka Tschick, is a Russian immigrant, the new kid in school, and also not popular. When Tschick shows up in a stolen beat-up Soviet-era car, the boys head out of Berlin on a road trip adventure across Germany. They have no map, no cell phone, and no plan. They meet some bizarre characters, dodge the police, and travel the autobahn. This is an insightful, exuberant, and highly engaging coming of age novel. mjw
In 1915, ten-year-old Aileen Rogers’ father, Lawrence Browning Rogers, enlisted in the Fifth Canadian Mounted Rifles. Aileen, left in Quebec with her mother and younger brother, sent her precious stuffed Teddy bear to the front lines in Europe to protect him. Teddy came home to the Rogers farm. Lieutenant Rogers did not. He was killed at the battle of Passchendaele in Belgium. In 2002, Lawrence’s granddaughter found Teddy, letter, and war memorabilia in a family briefcase. This moving story, narrated by Teddy, is accompanied by family photographs, newspaper cuttings, and warm oil paintings. Today Teddy lives in a glass display in the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Canada. mjw
As a boy, Wu Daozi (689-759), often considered to be China’s greatest painter, was taught calligraphy, but his brush did not cooperate. Instead he painted squiggles, twists, and dots that became butterflies, horses, flowers, and clouds that came to life. People traveled from all over to admire his work. One day, the emperor asked him to paint a mural on the walls of the palace. This masterpiece took years to finish and revolutionized Chinese painting. Ink, watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations capture the beauty of Chinese art and culture. An author’s note provides background information on Wu Daozi’s life and artistic techniques. mjw
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