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Whirligig by Paul Fleishman - 8/7/2002
Aug. 7th, 2002 01:00 pmBrent Bishop is humiliated at a party. In an attempt to kill himself, driving home drunk, he inadvertantly kills Lea, a teenage girl.
Lea's mother asks Brent to atone for his actions by building and placing whirligigs in all four corners of the United States. Brent finds redemption through his travels and learns that the actions of one person can start a chain of events that affect others.
Fleischman alternates Brent's narrative with stories of those affected by his whirligigs. The result is a string of gemlike impressions of lives throughout the United States.
Fleischman is best known for his Newbery Award winning book of poems Joyful Noise. The nonlinear structure of Whirligig reads a lot like poetry and may be difficult for unsophisticated young readers. However, I would not be surprised to find this book used by teachers all over the United States. It's short, simple, and extremely moral, not only in its adherance to the Golden Rule, but in it's discussion of the virtues of work.
I think it is an apt replacement for books like Louis Sachar's Holes that our often shoved towards reluctant readers. It is also an excellent book for adults, who I think I have the experience to appreciate it more than people who are actually Brent's age.
Overall rating: B - Better than average. I highly recommend this book, even if the story does not sound initially appealing. I enjoyed it so much, I will probably be getting it as a gift for friends.
Recommendations: Something about this book (perhaps the cover illustration) brought Paul Coelho's The Alchemist to mind. People who like Whirligig would also like Cynthia Rylant's Van Gogh Cafe as well as her book Missing May, which deals with whirligigs in its own right. Also, I never miss a chance to recommend one of my all time favorite books, The Man In the Ceiling by Jules Pfeiffer.
Lea's mother asks Brent to atone for his actions by building and placing whirligigs in all four corners of the United States. Brent finds redemption through his travels and learns that the actions of one person can start a chain of events that affect others.
Fleischman alternates Brent's narrative with stories of those affected by his whirligigs. The result is a string of gemlike impressions of lives throughout the United States.
Fleischman is best known for his Newbery Award winning book of poems Joyful Noise. The nonlinear structure of Whirligig reads a lot like poetry and may be difficult for unsophisticated young readers. However, I would not be surprised to find this book used by teachers all over the United States. It's short, simple, and extremely moral, not only in its adherance to the Golden Rule, but in it's discussion of the virtues of work.
I think it is an apt replacement for books like Louis Sachar's Holes that our often shoved towards reluctant readers. It is also an excellent book for adults, who I think I have the experience to appreciate it more than people who are actually Brent's age.
Overall rating: B - Better than average. I highly recommend this book, even if the story does not sound initially appealing. I enjoyed it so much, I will probably be getting it as a gift for friends.
Recommendations: Something about this book (perhaps the cover illustration) brought Paul Coelho's The Alchemist to mind. People who like Whirligig would also like Cynthia Rylant's Van Gogh Cafe as well as her book Missing May, which deals with whirligigs in its own right. Also, I never miss a chance to recommend one of my all time favorite books, The Man In the Ceiling by Jules Pfeiffer.
