It's not me, it's you. That's what you say, right? I'm just not in a "great place" right now, so the fact that I haven't enjoyed the books I've read lately is about me, yes? Cynthia Voigt's newest offering made it onto at least two "highly recommended" lists. Booklist liked it, SLJ liked it ... for me, it was the third "ehh" book I've read in the past month or so. Part of the problem is the target audience. The reviewers peg it anywhere from 3rd to 7th grade. At 227 pages with vocabulary words like "foraging" it feels like middle school. The plot, however, is strictly elementary. Young Fredle is, as you would have guessed, a mouse. He makes mistakes, is thrown into unexpected circumstances, has an adventure, and then, out of pluck and determination, makes it home. The character of Fredle is engaging -- the story is boiler-plate. I've heard this before! We all have. There truly wasn't one twist I didn't see coming by the end of the first chapter. There is also a didactic tone. In the midst of a narrative tale, Ms. Voigt feels compelled to put in "facts" about mice. The reader can't just take Fredle's behavior on spec, we must be told that mice "do this or do that." She makes a great deal about the fact that mice don't see color. And then young Fredle notices the green grass, yellow flowers and blue sky. It is an irritating inconsistency. It also harkens back to those young adult "message" books of the 1970s. Fredle learns many wise life lessons along his way, which Cynthia Voigt pounds us over the head with ("THIS IS THE POINT -- GET IT?"). The book is a companion to "Angus & Sadie," a tale of two dogs who live on the same property and appear as sympathetic characters here. I can see this as an excellent read-aloud for a parent of, say, a fourth grader? I'm not counting on it moving much in my school, though. The illustrations are adorable and add to the adorable quality of the entire book. I guess I just wasn't feeling very adorable when I read it. Maybe I've just been away from elementary fiction too long. But this one felt tired to me. Frankly, if you are going for animal tales, try "Tale of Despereaux", "The Rats of Nimh" or one of Brian Jacques' "Redwall" stories. ~~Oh well~~ Maybe next time.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
"Young Fredle" by Cynthia Voigt
It's not me, it's you. That's what you say, right? I'm just not in a "great place" right now, so the fact that I haven't enjoyed the books I've read lately is about me, yes? Cynthia Voigt's newest offering made it onto at least two "highly recommended" lists. Booklist liked it, SLJ liked it ... for me, it was the third "ehh" book I've read in the past month or so. Part of the problem is the target audience. The reviewers peg it anywhere from 3rd to 7th grade. At 227 pages with vocabulary words like "foraging" it feels like middle school. The plot, however, is strictly elementary. Young Fredle is, as you would have guessed, a mouse. He makes mistakes, is thrown into unexpected circumstances, has an adventure, and then, out of pluck and determination, makes it home. The character of Fredle is engaging -- the story is boiler-plate. I've heard this before! We all have. There truly wasn't one twist I didn't see coming by the end of the first chapter. There is also a didactic tone. In the midst of a narrative tale, Ms. Voigt feels compelled to put in "facts" about mice. The reader can't just take Fredle's behavior on spec, we must be told that mice "do this or do that." She makes a great deal about the fact that mice don't see color. And then young Fredle notices the green grass, yellow flowers and blue sky. It is an irritating inconsistency. It also harkens back to those young adult "message" books of the 1970s. Fredle learns many wise life lessons along his way, which Cynthia Voigt pounds us over the head with ("THIS IS THE POINT -- GET IT?"). The book is a companion to "Angus & Sadie," a tale of two dogs who live on the same property and appear as sympathetic characters here. I can see this as an excellent read-aloud for a parent of, say, a fourth grader? I'm not counting on it moving much in my school, though. The illustrations are adorable and add to the adorable quality of the entire book. I guess I just wasn't feeling very adorable when I read it. Maybe I've just been away from elementary fiction too long. But this one felt tired to me. Frankly, if you are going for animal tales, try "Tale of Despereaux", "The Rats of Nimh" or one of Brian Jacques' "Redwall" stories. ~~Oh well~~ Maybe next time.
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