From: Lindsay <linds_na>
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 09:40:13 -0800 (PST)

How funny to be comparing these two very different books, both of which I enjoyed. But reading Ginny's post, something clicked in my mind about the hand of the author in both Fleishman's "Whirligig" and Sachar's
"Holes." We've talked about how different the characterization and plot line are between them (many posters preferred "Holes" because they could identify more directly with the characters; and the plot is more seamless than in "Whirligig") -- but something that unnerved me at first about
"Holes" (much in the way "Whirligig" first unnerved me), was the increasing apparent hand of the author in the so-neatly-tied-up ending (I think it was Ginny's mention of "The Westing Game" that made me think of this). The coincidences are preposterous; yet, on reflection, I was willing to swallow it all because I wanted this ending so much for the characters that Sachar made me love (and hate!). Thinking of Sachar's hand in this, I thought of the word "Mythic" -- and boom! There I was, smack up against my similar evaluation of Fleishman's hand in
"Whirligig." So...just how different are these stories afterall?

Nina Lindsay





Nina Lindsay, Children's Librarian Melrose Branch, Oakland Public Library 4805 Foothill Boulevard Oakland, CA 94601
(510)535V23 linds_na at oak2.ci.oakland.ca.us
Received on Tue 27 Oct 1998 11:40:13 AM CST