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Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed
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From: Ginny Moore Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 14:01:14 -0500
Julie, I share your enthusiasm for "Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed." This is a perfect time of the year to be reminded of what I also consider to be one of Virginia Hamilton's many fine books for children.
Set in rural Ohio during late October in 1938, Willie Bea and her family become caught up in two days of confusion and fear generated by the Halloween radio broadcast of Orson Welles' celebrated "War of the Worlds." It's an absolutely brilliant exploration of universes: personal, familial, community, cultural, and * beyond. As each of her universes tilts in turn, Willie Bea tries to maintain her balance at the center.
I've always admired the scene where Willie Bea is under the porch or stoop. From that confined individual space and perspective, and it was here that Hamilton began taking her main character - step by step * all the way to the vastness of what might be. She wrote with such humor and insight, while recreating a time and place within the experience of a child within several generations of an extended family, an African American family peopled with terrific characters.
Depending upon what a reader already knows, or what s/he figures out, so much can be discovered within "Willie Bea*," a fully original Halloween story to consider reading aloud. I think it's one of Virginia Hamilton's very best.
One other thing. I notice that neither hardcover nor paperback editions of "Willie Bea*" are easy to buy these days. How can this be? Maybe "Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed" will be brought back into print, and that can't be too soon as far as I'm concerned. Meanwhile, locate this wonderful novel in your school or public library.
Cheers, Ginny
Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu
Received on Wed 25 Sep 2002 02:01:14 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 14:01:14 -0500
Julie, I share your enthusiasm for "Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed." This is a perfect time of the year to be reminded of what I also consider to be one of Virginia Hamilton's many fine books for children.
Set in rural Ohio during late October in 1938, Willie Bea and her family become caught up in two days of confusion and fear generated by the Halloween radio broadcast of Orson Welles' celebrated "War of the Worlds." It's an absolutely brilliant exploration of universes: personal, familial, community, cultural, and * beyond. As each of her universes tilts in turn, Willie Bea tries to maintain her balance at the center.
I've always admired the scene where Willie Bea is under the porch or stoop. From that confined individual space and perspective, and it was here that Hamilton began taking her main character - step by step * all the way to the vastness of what might be. She wrote with such humor and insight, while recreating a time and place within the experience of a child within several generations of an extended family, an African American family peopled with terrific characters.
Depending upon what a reader already knows, or what s/he figures out, so much can be discovered within "Willie Bea*," a fully original Halloween story to consider reading aloud. I think it's one of Virginia Hamilton's very best.
One other thing. I notice that neither hardcover nor paperback editions of "Willie Bea*" are easy to buy these days. How can this be? Maybe "Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed" will be brought back into print, and that can't be too soon as far as I'm concerned. Meanwhile, locate this wonderful novel in your school or public library.
Cheers, Ginny
Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at education.wisc.edu
Received on Wed 25 Sep 2002 02:01:14 PM CDT
