A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly August 17, 2007

Author:

Donnelly, Jennifer

Title:

A Northern Light

Publisher & Date:

Harcourt, 2003

Recommended Age Range:

13 and up

Plot Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has a passion for words, writing, and for her handsome neighbor, Royal Loomis.  It’s 1906.  Mattie, who lives in the North Woods of upstate New York, is the oldest of three sisters and a brother.  Mattie’s mother recently died of breast cancer and her brother has run away after a fight with her dad. Now it’s up to Mattie to handle all of the household duties and keep what’s left of the family together, as their father tries desperately to farm the uncooperative land their family has spent their little money on.  Throughout the book, Mattie struggles to balance duty and responsibility to her family and fulfilling her own personal goals.

Interweaved throughout Mattie’s personal story is the real-life story of Grace Brown, whose drowned body was found on July 12, 1906, in Big Moose Lake.  As the fictional Mattie reads Grace’s letters to her companion, Chester Gillette, she discovers as much about herself as she does about the circumstances leading to Grace’s death.

Reader Appeal:

Due to the time period this book covers and the mild way in which sexual situations are approached, this book would most likely appeal to fans of the Little House on the Prairie series, historical fiction or more conservative or prudish readers. The plot and character development in this book would also appeal to aspiring writers, those who have strict parents or those with heavy family obligations.  It would not appeal to anyone looking for science-fiction, fantasy, or action.

Artistic Merit:
This book does a decent job of introducing readers to issues of race, poverty and feminism in the early 20^th century.  The real-life details of Grace Brown’s life and death are cleverly interweaved and provide ample motivation for Mattie’s ultimate decision to leave her family to attend Barnard College in New York City.  The novel does seem like a realistic if somewhat sedate portrayal of a young woman growing up in 1906.  I did find her slow reactions to Royal’s overzealous hands somewhat troubling and her interactions with her best friend Weaver somewhat unrealistc.  The sources and suggestions for further reading are a good addition, although I am disappointed that the list lacks any books on growing up African American during that time period.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by M.T. Anderson July 20, 2007

Author:

Anderson, M.T.

Title:

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation

Publisher & Date:

Candlewick Press, 2006

Recommended Age Range:

16 and up

Plot Summary:

Octavian is a young African-American boy born into and living in the lap of luxury in Boston in the late 1700s.  According to his own understanding, his mother is an African queen and he a prince.  They are treated by everyone in their compound as such.  He does not discover until much, much later that he and his mother are living experiments, owned by aristocracy and tested every moment to see if dark-skinned persons are biologically and psychologically the same as light-skinned people. 

The initial coordinators of the project are kinder to he and his mother in the sense that they generally do not mean Octavian and his mother any harm to even if the experimenters ultimately believe themselves superior to them.  The same cannot be said, however, after their main benefactor dies.  The new set of funders and the overseer they hire are intent on crushing the spirits of Octavian and his mother and proving their inferiority.  Before, Octavian and his mother are mostly tested and observed.  The new overseer, however, takes it upon himself to torture them both, assign them backbreaking housework, and attempt to sell Octavian’s mother’s hand in marriage.  When she refuses and Octavian tries to protect her, he beats them both.

Reader Appeal:

This book would appeal to those interested in American history, slavery, the American revolution, politics of race and identity, and social justice.  This book would not appeal to those looking for a light read, romance, fantasy or humor.

Artistic Merit:

This dark and exquisitely written book nearly took my breath away with his heart-breaking detail and psychological revelations.  Since it is written in first person, the reader quickly empathizes with Octavian.  The reader realizes the horrors and true inhumanity of Octavian’s life seemingly at the same time that Octavian does, truly immersing the reader in his world.