The Boy in the Attic [Hardcover]

Paul Yee (Author), Gu Xiong (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-This odd tale of adjusting to a new country through friendship with a ghost lacks the reassurance found in Aliki's realistic Marianthe's Story (Greenwillow, 1998). Before moving from China to a large North American city, seven-year-old Kai-ming and his parents look for the tomb of his great-great-grandfather. A butterfly landing on the child's arm gives the family a sign that they have found the right one. Playing in his yard in his new country, lonely Kai-ming spots a boy in the attic window, who turns out to be the ghost of Benjamin, who died in the house years before. When a butterfly once again lands on Kai-ming's shoulder, the two boys are able to speak the same language. Just before Kai-ming's family moves, Kai-ming puts the butterfly on Benjamin's shoulder so he can understand the language of the house's next resident. The use of a fluttering butterfly as a magic symbol that can be transferred from shoulder to shoulder does not work. Full-page illustrations, which appear to be done in pencil and watercolor, oppose pages of text throughout and are as static and stilted as the narrative.-Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books (September 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888993307
• ISBN-13: 978-0888993304
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,138,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A frightened young emigrant from China makes a new friend., December 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boy in the Attic (Hardcover)

Paul Yee and illustrator Gu Xiong work their magic together in this handsome picture book featuring a young boy left alone all day in a new country while his parents go to work. Seeing a face in his own attic window, he meets a boy his own age, who he plays with to pass the lonely hours. Whether the boy is a ghost or a figment of the lad's imagination is left to the opinion of the reader. But when the boy's parents announce that they are moving, the lad cannot persuade his friend to move with him, and so the friendship is lost. This is a ghost-fantasy tale for imaginative young readers.

5.0 out of 5 stars Honoring our past to ground us in our present, October 10, 2010

By 

dnk "dnkboston" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Boy in the Attic (Hardcover)

The Cahners review misses the larger context of the story. As the family is leaving China, China is leaving its past. While there are customs and traditions that may not serve them as a whole, the abrupt departure is painful for many. Most people would be distraught to discover that their ancestor's previously honored grave site was being turned into a highway or parking lot.

As I read it, the butterfly that graces the child's arm at the tomb is the spirit of the ancestor, and since his/her resting place is about to be destroyed, it comes with the last people to honor it. That spirit serves the lonely child well in America, for he cannot speak the language or understand the signs. Fittingly, the only playmate he can find is the ghost of a boy who died many years before. The spirit-butterfly makes it possible for the two to communicate and share a summer friendship.

When the boy has to leave and his ghostly friend cannot come with him, the child leaves the butterfly with his friend so that he may communicate with anyone else who comes across him. I thought it was a beautiful gift, and spoke to the importance of tradition for everyone, regardless of heritage.

I would happily recommend this to all readers six and up.