I wouldn't have met Piti if it hadn't been for a chichigua. To translate chichigua as a kite does not do justice to these beautiful creations of...
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This book is a real treat; not a junk food fix like a Tasty Freeze cone or a Whitman Sampler, but more like scoops of Haagen-Dazs or pieces of Godiva. The publishers have determined it to be a young adult novel, but for a variety of reasons its appeal, like any classic, will be so broad that it will be read and cherished by a wide range of ages. For a novel, and especially a first one, it is extraordinary. It’s the kind of book that one wishes all young adult authors would strive to write with well fleshed-out characters (Natalie, Limberleg, the Devil, Tom), beautiful word-painted settings and personalities (descriptions of the medicine show, Limberleg’s wagon, Tom’s guitar playing, Phemonoe and The Paragons to mention a few), believable dialogue, an intricate and compelling plot, so much wisdom about the lessons one should learn in life, a wonderful blending of historical facts, scientific oddities, and story telling, and the importance of the oral tradition (I loved Mrs. Minks’ tale of Tom’s battle with the devil). Ms. Milford has combined these elements to create a magical, vibrant, exciting, and often scary world.
The language is so expressive, detailed, and well-phrased. She doesn’t resort to clichés and I found so many beautifully structured sentences. For example: “Natalie’s life was a mess of gears and yarns. If you looked closely, however (the way she loved to look at a mechanical device or a story), the tangle resolved itself into a perfectly crafted mechanism. All the parts were made to work together. In the same way that Natalie could tell when she was looking at a well-built machine, she knew her life was pretty good. Everything just fit.” This could be a good description of her book, too.
As I was reading it, I was reminded of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Not that I think that Milford modeled it after the Newbery Award winning book , but because I think that hers is as well-written as L’Engle’s and is as important in its moral grounding. L’Engle deals with the struggle of good vs. evil in a universal arena while Milford’s battles take place in a more personal, historical microcosm. I sincerely believe that Milford’s book has all the characteristics of a Newbery Award winner.
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The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
crichardmicklos, June 18, 2010
This book is a real treat; not a junk food fix like a Tasty Freeze cone or a Whitman Sampler, but more like scoops of Haagen-Dazs or pieces of Godiva. The publishers have determined it to be a young adult novel, but for a variety of reasons its appeal, like any classic, will be so broad that it will be read and cherished by a wide range of ages. For a novel, and especially a first one, it is extraordinary. It’s the kind of book that one wishes all young adult authors would strive to write with well fleshed-out characters (Natalie, Limberleg, the Devil, Tom), beautiful word-painted settings and personalities (descriptions of the medicine show, Limberleg’s wagon, Tom’s guitar playing, Phemonoe and The Paragons to mention a few), believable dialogue, an intricate and compelling plot, so much wisdom about the lessons one should learn in life, a wonderful blending of historical facts, scientific oddities, and story telling, and the importance of the oral tradition (I loved Mrs. Minks’ tale of Tom’s battle with the devil). Ms. Milford has combined these elements to create a magical, vibrant, exciting, and often scary world.The language is so expressive, detailed, and well-phrased. She doesn’t resort to clichés and I found so many beautifully structured sentences. For example: “Natalie’s life was a mess of gears and yarns. If you looked closely, however (the way she loved to look at a mechanical device or a story), the tangle resolved itself into a perfectly crafted mechanism. All the parts were made to work together. In the same way that Natalie could tell when she was looking at a well-built machine, she knew her life was pretty good. Everything just fit.” This could be a good description of her book, too.
As I was reading it, I was reminded of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Not that I think that Milford modeled it after the Newbery Award winning book , but because I think that hers is as well-written as L’Engle’s and is as important in its moral grounding. L’Engle deals with the struggle of good vs. evil in a universal arena while Milford’s battles take place in a more personal, historical microcosm. I sincerely believe that Milford’s book has all the characteristics of a Newbery Award winner.
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)