Dillon Dillon [Hardcover]

Kate Banks (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

What kind of parents would name their child Dillon Dillon?

For his tenth birthday, Dillon's parents give him a red rowboat with his name painted on the stern: Dillon Dillon. Why did his parents give him a name like that? To Dillon, it seems like the right time to find out. The truth alters everything Dillon has ever known or felt about himself and his family. But with the rowboat Dillon finds a new freedom as he embarks on a journey that takes him back to his beginnings. His discovery of an island and his memorable encounters with a pair of nesting loons bring him face-to-face with the magic and wonder of life. And though he cannot decipher all its mysteries, Dillon acquires, through these legendary birds, an understanding and acceptance of the world and his place in it.

In a powerful story full of questions, Kate Banks creates a character full of hope and courage. He lets us know what he is thinking - and it's this inner dialogue that we respond to, his constant bewilderment at the way things are that makes us love Dillon Dillon, from his crazy name to his tenacious spirit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The title character of Banks's (The Night Worker) somewhat mannered first novel cannot understand how his "smart" and "nice" parents could have given him a first name that is the same as his last. But even though he "could never get past that name, never get to know himself," he doesn't ask his parents about it until his 10th birthday, which falls at the beginning of his family's summer vacation at the lake. On this "day of truths," Dillon learns he is adopted; his birth mother was Dillon's father's sister (it was she who named him Dillon), and she, along with his birth father, died when he was 18 months old. Dillon embarks on a journey of self-discovery that involves identifying with a pair of loons, one of whom lays an egg in Dillon's sneaker. When the egg hatches, Dillon "would later celebrate this day and remember it as the time of his own rebirth." Banks stretches this parallel when a hunter shoots the loon parents and their bodies float into a crayfish pot owned by Dillon's brother. After the boys bury the loons, Dillon's adoptive father tells him that his birth mother was a biologist who also loved loons ("Sometimes I thought she was one of them"). While many readers may react more to the various implausibilities and the slow pacing than to the poetics, Banks's stylistic devices may well enthrall literary-minded middle-graders. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-For as long as he can remember, Dillon wondered, "What kind of parents would name their child Dillon Dillon?- Parents who had forgotten that a name was the first thing you wore against your raw naked skin?- Dillon's parents were smart.- They would not do a thing like that. Not on purpose." He turns 10 on the family's annual summer vacation at the lake and feels bold enough to ask about his name. He discovers that his birth parents, his dad's sister and brother-in-law, died in a plane accident when he was 18 months old. He had been named Dillon McDermott and when he was adopted, his parents gave him their last name: Dillon. As the youngster comes to terms with this new reality, he becomes fascinated by a loon and her mate that nest in one of his sneakers on a nearby island. Soon after their chick hatches, he realizes that both parent birds have been shot and he wonders how the orphan will survive, until a few days later when he sees that another loon has stepped in to raise the chick. Symbolism that could overwhelm the plot is sensitively tempered by Dillon's emotional journey, the development of strong secondary characters, and engaging subplots. Reminiscent of Kevin Henkes's gentle novels, this introspective, somewhat magical story is perfect for all children who wonder about their place in the universe.
Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); First Edition edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374317860
• ISBN-13: 978-0374317867
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,044,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book blew me away, gently, December 11, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Dillon Dillon (Hardcover)

This book blew me gently away and a sense of piece descended on me. This is a beautiful written sensitive story of a warm and loving family and a very special boy. This writer has feelings and the courage to question life. The loon material added beauty and wonder and left me filled with a renewed appreciation of the world and our place in it. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who shares this earth!

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story to be read again and again, March 6, 2008

By 

T. L. Preble "Book-Addict" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dillon Dillon (Paperback)

Wow! What a lovely story about a 9 year-old boy, a "hoper" (full of hope, optimism and imagination) who wants to know why his name is Dillon Dillon! I got the book at the library (title caught my eye; my oldest son is named "Dylan", and the cover photo looked like him!) and loved it so much I bought a copy to keep! My 12 and 9 year-old sons loved it. The author nails the voice of Dillon Dillon and his thoughts perfectly. Her prose is lyrical. Wonderful dialogue. Despite the sad news Dillon hears on his 10th birthday (reason for his name), the story becomes inspirational and sweet as Dillon bonds with a family of loons, and copes with the revelation of his name. A perfectly delightful read that will leave you smiling! What an unforgettable character! A great read-aloud book too!

5.0 out of 5 stars Are you an Animal?, April 15, 2005

By 

Tiffany (Strum,Wi USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dillon Dillon (Hardcover)

Did you ever think that you were an animal? The book I read was called Dillon Dillon by Kate Banks. In this book Dillon, the main character, thought that he was a loon because two loons became his friend and he thought that he could talk to them when they talked to him.
In the beginning of the story, Dillon was being made fun of because of his name, Dillon Dillon. He didn't like it when they made fun of him. So when he got really mad he would do mean stuff, like put pencil shavings in the kids' milk.
Every summer Dillon and his family go to their cabin on Lake Waban. This summer it was Dillon's 10th birthday. So he asked his parents why they gave him that name. That's when he found out that he was adopted. His real parents died in a plane crash and the family that had been taking care of him were really his aunt and uncle and his two cousins, Daisy and Didier.
While they were driving to the cabin, they stopped at a gas station and Dillon met a really nice girl named Eunice. While he was talking to her he noticed that he liked the same things that she did. So then Dillon asked her where she was going and she said Camp Tanglewood on Lake Waban. He was really surprised that she was going to be close to him all summer. But you will have to read the book to see if they meet at Lake Waban.
Now about the loons: While Dillon was at Lake Waban he met two loons that soon became his friends. He could talk to them when they were talking to him. One day, the loons took his shoe and made it into a nest. A couple of days later there was an egg in his shoe. A few months later the egg hatched and that baby soon liked Dillon. But one day something horrible happened to the mother and the father loon.
I think you should read this book if you like books full of adventure. I really liked this book and I hope you will like it too.