From: Susan Lempke <71460.1037>
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 10:29:21 -0500

Two of my favorite books of the year have not yet been mentioned, perhaps because they aren't eligible for the Newbery being by British authors. I thought Anne Fine's TULIP TOUCH was stunningly powerful, a book that will stick with me forever. Yes, it certainly added to the list of bleak books for the year, but Tulip, with her skillful lying, her malevolent streak, and her desperate need, is most memorable.

I also found much to ponder in the second of Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, THE SUBTLE KNIFE, and like most other Golden Compass fans, I am anxious for the third installment but know I'll be sorry when it's completed. It should have a warning on it, though, that it is the second in a trilogy--I know a fifth grader who read it having no idea it was a sequel, and she of course found it utterly baffling.

My theory about the year's bumper crop of bleak books is that they sprang from the horrible stories of two and three years ago when there was a whole string of murders by and of children, most especially the James Bolger murder in England. I remember finding it extremely depressing at the time, and it's not surprising that writers found dark subjects to explore when it came time to write their next books.

Thank goodness for Ella Enchanted! What a pleasure that book is!

  --Susan Dove Lempke (71460.1037 at CompuServe.com)
Received on Wed 10 Dec 1997 09:29:21 AM CST