The Book Thief

The Book Thief

(This review first appeared in February 2007) Rating:   The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Knopf (2006), 552 pages. This is the story of a German girl living in a foster family in a working-class town in Germany during World War II. Such a setting encompasses,...
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

(This review first appeared in March 2007) Rating:   The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,by Kate DiCamillo.Candlewick Press (2006), 198 pages. This is the rare children’s book that works just as well for adults as it does for children. It is also...
Another Cover Art Disappointment

Another Cover Art Disappointment

Who doesn’t love a vintage photograph from the author’s childhood on the cover of her memoir? When the image is just right, these covers are among the best. But if a photo that speaks directly to the story does not exist, why force an inappropriate one upon the book?...
To Siberia

To Siberia

Rating:  To Siberia, by Per Petterson. Picador (2009), 246 pages. (Originally published in Norway in 1996.) The unnamed narrator in this book dreams of moving to Siberia when she grows up. She has read all about it, has studied photographs of it, and at the...
The Way the Crow Flies

The Way the Crow Flies

  (This review first appeared in June 2005) Rating:  The Way the Crow Flies, by Ann-Marie MacDonald.  HarperCollins (2003), 820 pages. This book perfectly displays what I mean when I write that an author has flawlessly captured the child’s voice in his or...