From: Steven Engelfried <sengelfried>
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 14:53:23 -0800

I have three favorite fictions of the year: "What Would Joey Do?" by Gantos,
"Saffy's Angel" by McKay, and "Up on Cloud Nine" by Fine. "Joey" was hilarious, but also brought the character forward in surprising ways. Possibly the best "Joey" yet. Definitely one of the top two (or three). "Saffy's Angel" had more of McKay's unique characters and warm humor. The scene where the little sister writes signs to trailing cars ranks with McKay's best. "Up on Cloud Nine" kind of caught me by surprise. It starts out like a typical story about a goofy teen, but turns into a pretty powerful look at suicidal behavior. It raised questions without preaching, was hopeful without any definitive solutions, and set all the serious issue stuff among some very funny scenes. Stolly is unforgettable, and we really get to know and admire the more steady Ian too, by the time it's over. And finally, I know it's an old book, but I was thrilled to see "Dorp Dead" by Julia Cunningham back in print this year. We don't have our new copy yet so I haven't reread recently, but vividly remember it as a very unique and powerful book. I'm hoping it will hold up as well as I think it will...

Steven Engelfried, Children's Division Librarian Beaverton City Library 12375 SW 5th Street Beaverton, OR 97005 503R6%99 sengelfried at ci.beaverton.or.us
Received on Wed 18 Dec 2002 04:53:23 PM CST