From: Binawill at aol.com <Binawill>
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 13:06:03 -0500

I really loved Samir and Yonathan which has been mentioned here in the context of war books, but also was the Batchelder winner a couple of years ago. As for this year's winner, I loved The Thief Lord when I read in galleys. The enigmatic Thief Lord and the Dickensian characters intrigue us from the very start. What fun it would be to live in an abandoned movie theater! The godd vs. evil is just as important as the self discovery of the young protagonists who are trying to establish a family for themselves.

I think it is the perfect book for diverting anxious young people from the world's events. I look forward to reading future books by Cornelia Funke.

As for the discussion of books about war vs. books to divert, perhaps we should all prepare booklists of books that talk about the tough stuff to hand out to parents or those who need it or are ready to deal with it. Meanwhile, let's put up displays of our favorite humorous books, adventure stories, mysteries, fantasy or any other great books that divert well.

Bina

Bina Williams Bridgeport (CT) Public Library
Received on Tue 18 Mar 2003 12:06:03 PM CST