Monday, December 16, 2013

NAVIGATING EARLY, by Clare Vanderpool

The story: Jack and Early are outsiders at Morton Hill Academy: Jack's mother died over the summer and he's been uprooted by his dad, who just wants to forget. Early is just...weird...and the other kids ignore him. Together, they set out on a journey to bring someone back from the dead--and Jack learns more from Early Auden than he ever thought possible. Maybe, just maybe, he'll even learn how to let his mother go.

  June Cleaver ratings: Language G; Nudity G; Sexual Content G; Substance Abuse, PG (there's ale swilling at the Bear Knuckle Tavern); Violence PG-13; GLBT content G; Magic & the occult G; Adult Themes PG (death and autism); Overall rating: PG.

Liz's comments: I really liked this book, and Claire Vanderpool is a fine literary writer (much like Gary D. Schmidt). And, in the same way as Schmidt, there's not much a librarian can do that would convince kids to pick this story up unless they were reading it in an English classroom. It's historical fiction, it's about a kid with autism, and while there are adventures aplenty, there are also these strange tales about "Pi", Early's number-based imaginary friend. As worthy as it is, I'm not sure how it made the Lone Star list this year. It's definitely one adults would like better than kids, even though it's about kids. For a complete annotation, become my friend on Goodreads.com: look for Liz Friend.
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