From: Willingboro Public Library <wipl>
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 14:31:49 -0700

I was assigned to review Kit Pearson's The Sky Is Falling. I never would have picked it up otherwise, but ended up being enthralled by it. It is about two working class British children evacuated to Canada, where a wealthy widow takes them in. The little boy becomes the woman's pet, but the older girl rebels and considers her brother a traitor for forgetting their own family. The most striking (to me) part of the book didn't deal with the war, but with a librarian who comes to tell stories at the children's shelter where the two are living prior to being assigned to homes. She begins telling stories without introducing herself to the group and leaves as soon as she done. The girl, who takes great solace in the stories, comments that the stories had almost told themselves through her. It gave me goosebumps.

I enjoyed Paterson's Jip, which was mentioned yesterday, very much and have been recommending it to 5th and 6th graders with historical fiction assignments. The scene where Put bursts into song when Jip is cornered by the slave catchers was very powerful and moving.

Christine Hill Willingboro Public Library Willingboro, NJ
Received on Wed 22 Oct 1997 04:31:49 PM CDT