Shadows in the Twilight by Henning Mankell

Shadows in the Twilight by Henning Mankell
Review by Barbara Shoup

“I have another story to tell.

The story of what happened next, when the summer was over. When the mosquitoes had stopped singing and the nights turned cold. Autumn set in, and Joel Gustafson had other things to think about. He hardly ever went to his rock by the river, to gaze up at the sky. It was as if the dog that headed for its star no longer existed. Or perhaps it had never existed? Had it all been a dream? Joel didn’t know. But in the end he decided it was all to do with the fact that he’d soon be twelve. After his twelfth birthday he’d be too big to sit on a rock and dream about a strange dog that might never have existed in the real world.”

So begins Henning Mankell’s, Shadows in the Twilight .

My curiosity was piqued. What was the first story, I wondered? What dog? What rock? Were they a dream or were they real?

I never found out—which did not make me a happy reader.

The book is “a companion” to Mankell’s earlier Bridge to the Stars, which I presume tells the story of the dog and the rock. The problem is, sequel or not, a book must be able to stand on its own. Shadows in the Twilight might have. It has an interesting premise.

Almost-twelve-year-old Joel steps out into the street without looking one day and narrowly escapes death when he ends up sliding underneath an oncoming truck as it skids to avoid hitting him, instead of being crushed beneath its wheels. “It’s a miracle,” everyone says. And Joel gets it in his mind that he must “pay” for the miracle by doing a good deed.

He settles upon finding a man for his friend, Gertrud, a whimsical, lonely “child-woman” who has no nose because of a botched operation. The decision—and the identification of two prospects—results in a series of adventures that introduce the reader to many of the people who live in Joel’s small Swedish village. Like Mad Simon, who lives in a run-down house in the forest; the Barefooted Man, chief engineer of the world beneath the village, and Kringstrom, the leader of the town orchestra. Doing a good deed turns out to be a good deal more complicated than Joel imagined, with mostly unhappy results.

Between these escalating adventures, Joel lives with his father Samuel, a quiet man trying to put their lives back together after the disappearance of Jenny—his wife and Joel’s mother. He goes to school where he’s bullied by his nemesis Otto and lives in fear of his teacher his dour teacher, Miss Nederstrom, who’s quick to twist his ear for the smallest infraction.

Told simply, one event merging nicely into the next, the story has the quality of a fable. Mankell’s writing is clear, and his deft descriptions bring both the characters and the town vividly to the page. But, for me, the threads of plot he set in motion were not adequately resolved. And I have to say I really have no idea why Shadows in the Twilight is being marketed as a young adult novel. Though Joel ponders growing up throughout the book, he’s still much more a child than an adolescent.

More Info:

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385734964
• ISBN-13: 978-0385734967
• Source: Review copy from publisher
  

Nonfiction Monday: Lang Lang: Playing with Flying Keys

Lang Lang: Playing with Flying Keys by Lang Lang with Michael French

Reviewed by Erica Moore

Lang Lang has been named one of the top 20 teens who will change the world. He played the opening concert for the World Cup 2006 Munich. In 2008 he played at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. He is a rare star in the classical music and more with his work as an ambassador for UNICEF. Lang Lang has fan clubs and a shoe with Adidas.

His story starts at the beginning with his earliest memories of family and the piano. He remembers sitting at the piano at 2 years of age and practicing the piano by age 3. By the age of 5 he wins his first piano competition against much older students. Lang Lang seldom watches tv, plays with friends or with toys although he loves transformers. He practices the piano for hours every day. When it becomes clear Lang Lang is a musical prodigy his father takes him to live in Beijing and audition for a prestigious music academy. This takes Lang Lang away from his mother as she stays behind to work and support the family. He is only 8 when he goes to Beijing and 10 when he wins a scholarship placement at the music academy.

Lang Lang’s story is amazing and sad as he recalls his childhood and his relationship with his father in a very factual way. Lang Lang misses his mother greatly and goes years without seeing her so that he may further his piano career. His father seems only to care about Lang Lang winning first place in competitions. Lang Lang has music to comfort him and seems to escape his life in his practicing. Lang Lang doesn’t come across as bitter and makes an attempt to explain the Chinese culture of competition and his father’s temperament which seems abusive to my western viewpoint.

Lang Lang recently visited my home town of Portland, Oregon and his performance made the front page. I unfortunately didn’t see him perform but after reading his story I will definitely make an effort.

This is an engaging autobiography about someone who accomplishes amazing things in their early teens. I was moved by this book. I think teens will be hooked reading about someone living so completely different. They will be shocked and angry about the things that happen to Lang Lang but all the drama and triumph is what makes this a compelling story. There is a map, timelines, vital stats and fun facts about Lang Lang, and a glossary to help round out any paper on a famous person.

What Other Bloggers Are Saying:

I.N.K.: "Along the way, readers will absorb a considerable amount about China, its history and culture, as well as the power of all kinds of music, particularly classical." (read more...)

More Information:

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385735782
• ISBN-13: 978-0385735780
• Source: Publisher Review Copy
  

Listen to some samples of Lang Lang's music here.

Stop by Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day for more Nonfiction Monday delights.

Hell Week and Highway to Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

I'm excited to be presenting Laura Koenig's first review at The Well-Read Child!

Hell Week (Maggie Quinn: Girl vs Evil) and Highway to Hell (Maggie Quinn: Girl Vs Evil) by Rosemary Clement-Moore


A few short months ago, in Prom Dates from Hell , Maggie Quinn defeated the seriously evil demon that was trying to take over her senior prom. Now Maggie's back in Hell Week, and she can't even crack the staff of the Bedivere College newspaper. What gives? But Maggie's luck suddenly changes when she goes undercover as a pledge to Sigma Alpha Xi, the campus' most popular - and most secretive - sorority. Her Phantom Pledge articles are a hit, and that's not the only place where Maggie's life has taken a turn for the lucky. It's not long before Maggie starts to question whether there's something supernaturally lucky about the Sigma Alpha Xis - even beyond their abnormally perfect hair.

In Highway to Hell, which will be released in March 2009, Maggie and Lisa take off on a totally demon-free road trip. They're going to spend Spring Break on the beach at Cabo San Lucas - ironically, of course. But thanks to a middle of the night encounter with a dead cow in the middle of a deserted Texas highway, the girls are stuck in a tiny town with some very unusual characters. (Luckily, one of those characters is a devastatingly gorgeous real-live cowboy.) Things quickly take a totally unsurprising turn for the supernatural, and once again Maggie is hot on the trail of some unusual demonic activity. After making inquiries at the only bar in town about what animal could have gruesomely killed the cow that totaled their jeep, Maggie and Lisa are becoming more and more sure that the mythical chupacabra is very real - and very nasty.

The second and third books in the "Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil" series stay true to the super-sarcastic, laugh-out-loud funny voice of Prom Dates from Hell. But now Maggie's well past her early skepticism. She's accepted that there are demons hanging out in her neighborhood, and that as the local psychic investigative journalist with a spellcasting best friend and a love interest who studies supernatural mythology, she's the one who's going to have to deal with all the evil beasties that pop up in her area. And as Maggie acknowledges her psychic powers and begins to learn how to use them, they no longer feel like a tacked-on plot point - they're an integral part of both books.

These books start to dig further into the how and why of the demons and magic that are popping up around Maggie Quinn, and the mix of folklore, religion, and superstition are a strength of Clement-Moore's. Maggie's boyfriend brings the theoretical knowledge, and her sorcerer friend Lisa brings the practical application. It's Maggie who pulls it all together, using both her natural curiosity and her psychic Spidey-sense. Highway to Hell brings some traditional brujas into the picture, as well as the intriguing addition of a priest-in-training to their crew of demon-battlers. The young priest is a great foil for Lisa the sometimes-evil sorceror, and he also has his run-ins with Maggie, whose relationship with religion is pretty well summed up in Hell Week:

"Facing Evil with a capital E makes a convincing argument that somewhere, in some shape or form, there was Good with a capital G, too, and I wanted no mistake about which side I was on.

I'm not saying team Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is the only team in the G league, but it's what I defaulted to when I needed to get my spiritual ducks in a row. Even so, I'm not exactly what you would call a reverent traditionalist.

'Okay, God.' I stared up at the dark ceiling. 'Maybe you could throw me a bone here. I'm going in circles and could really use a signpost.' I paused, trying to sound at least a little supplicant. 'So. . . anytime you're ready, that would be great.'"
-Hell Week, page 166

The question of where God falls in all this mix of magic and mayhem is a welcome addition to the world of the books, and I hope that the priest character will be back in future Maggie Quinn adventures.

With their fast-paced action, sharp tongues, and quick wit, Maggie and her friends are a great match for any teenage Buffy fans in your life. They potentially have some appeal to readers of the Twilight books - but you might want to make it clear that if Maggie Quinn runs into a vampire in her biology class, that vampire's going to have a stake through his heart sooner than he can say "I'm madly in love with you!" The teen-friendly covers make these books a pretty easy sell, but it's the bitingly funny characters and their smart take on some implausible situations that will keep readers coming back. As Maggie puts it, "'Yes, we're in over our heads... Maybe there's someone in the world who actually understands how all this works, who's fully equipped with the armor of righteousness and the flamethrower or smiting or whatever else is in the arsenal of Team Good. But unless they're hiding behind a mesquite tree somewhere, me, my freaky brain, my sorcerous friend, and my paladin boyfriend are all that stands between Hell and Texas'" (Highway to Hell , page 293).



What Other Bloggers Are Saying About Hell Week:


Abby (the) Librarian: "Written with a great sarcastic humor, the book had me laughing out loud. Throw in a smidgen of romance, a dash of mystery, and a sprinkling of interesting secondary characters and you've got yourself a great book." (read more...)

Kiss the Book: " Maggie is a whip-sharp protagonist with intelligence and the friends she needs to back her up. I was enchanted." (read more...)

Amberkatze's Book Blog: "...all in all, great story, good plot and I still love Maggie." (read more...)

Simply Books: "Maggie is a great character: she's funny and serious at the same time and her commentary on sororities and fraternities is very satirical. I liked reading a book about a quirky heroine who fights evil in her spare time." (read more...)

Read a Great Teen Book!: "It was a fun, light read, fairly well-written, and exactly what my poor, over-taxed brain needed." (read more...)



More Info:

Prom Dates from Hell

• Reading Level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (April 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385734131
• ISBN-13: 978-0385734134

Hell Week

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (August 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038573414X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385734141

Highway to Hell

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (March 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385734638
• ISBN-13: 978-0385734639