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The Giant-Slayer

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Laurie Valentine's father works as a fundraiser to fight polio. He and their housekeeper, Mrs. Strawberry, restrict Laurie's activities severely during spring and summer because of the chance she will be exposed to the disease --- to the point that Laurie fears the sight of daffodils that herald the beginning of the dreaded "polio season." Because her father works a lot, Laurie has a quiet, sad and lonely childhood --- that is, until she's 11 and meets the new neighbor, Dickie Espinosa. Dickie is only eight and is tutored at home instead of attending school, but he becomes Laurie's first --- and only --- friend. They play together constantly; much of it centers on stories spun about an imaginary village based on the miniature world of Dickie's detailed toy train set.

As Laurie and Dickie play at the neighborhood creek in early spring, Laurie notices daffodils just beginning to emerge. She stomps them down, but when she returns home, she is in trouble with the protective and terrified Mrs. Strawberry, who fears that the creek might carry the polio virus. After Laurie argues with the housekeeper, her father assures her that if she can hold out just a bit longer, a polio vaccine will soon be available, and her life will no longer be restricted by the threat of contagion. However, Laurie soon learns that Dickie is a victim of the dreaded disease.

When Laurie --- against the wishes of her father and Mrs. Strawberry --- secretly visits the hospital, she finds Dickie in an iron lung. He shares the "respirator room" with two other children who are also in the same awful mechanism: the beautiful and disdainful Carolyn and the rather mysterious Chip. Laurie is horrified when the nurse praises Dickie for, with tremendous effort, barely twitching his fingers. She does not want to show pity to the patients, but is at a loss as to what to say and how to act. So it's a relief when Dickie brags about the stories Laurie invents and then asks her to make up one to entertain the three of them.

Laurie begins to spin an ongoing fantasy tale about a fearful giant and the most unlikely wannabe giant-slayer hero ever, picking up her story with each visit to the hospital. She weaves in suggestions from her listeners and sometimes hits astoundingly close to home, as when she unknowingly gives the Swamp Witch Carolyn's middle name. Meanwhile, Dickie becomes sincerely convinced that he is one of the characters in the tale. As more listeners gather, the background stories of the polio victims are revealed.

At the very beginning of THE GIANT-SLAYER, six-year-old Laurie maps out her vision of the future, which plays a significant role in the resolution of both her fantasy tale and her life story following an unexpected plot twist. Real life and Laurie's fantasy tale weave together throughout the book seamlessly, and author Iain Lawrence writes in an exquisitely understated manner, leaving his unadorned stories --- both the realistic historical fiction and the fantasy tale --- to blindside the reader with powerful emotions. Each story is riveting in its own right, but intertwined they become much more than the sum of their parts. THE GIANT-SLAYER is a mesmerizing and masterful piece of work, which will surely find its way to many "Best of the Year" lists and win some big awards.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

This book is both fantasy and adventure. Laurie, the main
character of the book is a adventurous, smart, imaginative
girl. She has a friend named Dickie who suddenly contracts
polio and ends up in an iron lung. She goes to the hospital
to visit him and is asked to tell a story. She weaves an
amazing tale about Colosso, a giant, and Johnny the Giant
Slayer. Suddenly, she finds that they all can relate to the
story. When it ends, their lives are changed, and all who
heard the story have a new outlook on life.

I LOVED this book, from the first page to the last word, I was hooked.
It had an intriguing plot that took lots of twists and
turns. I think it will rank high on the New York Times
bestseller list. The plot was beautifully written and had a
surprise ending. I hope this author writes more books just
like this one.

Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer
Flamingnet Book Reviews
Teen books reviewed by teen reviewers

I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up to read it. From the cover and title, one would expect a fantasy involving a giant, a unicorn, a gnome, and a dragon. However, the book opens telling you that it's 1955 and polio is rampant. What does polio have to do with all these mythical creatures?

Laurie is a young girl who's dad is pretty big with the March of Dimes. They are frantically searching for a cure for polio. Laurie spends her days with her Nanna (her mom died when she was young) and she pretty much isn't allowed to do anything fun. She definitely can't go swimming! One day she runs into a little boy named Dickie and together they have some pretty wild adventures featuring Davey Crockett.

One day, Dickie doesn't come out to play and Laurie learns that he is in the hospital with polio. Laurie misses her friend and begs to go see him. She's finally allowed in and she finds her friend in an iron lung. That's where the stories begin!

Laurie spends time at the hospital weaving this tale of giants, unicorns, dragons, and gnomes to entertain the young children in the hospital. They spend hours listening to her tale becoming more and more entranced by it. It helps them to forget for just a few hours that their lives depend on this iron shell to keep them alive.

I found this story absolutely captivating. It's a story within a story but it all ties in together. I was interested in the background provided about polio (I have several family member affected) and even more so about the iron lung. I think I experienced just about every emotion while reading this book and have found another author that I enjoy reading!

I highly recommend this book to everyone. Regardless of age. I'm hoping that this book will get some wide reviews because the story is just that good!

Consider making a donation to the March of Dimes foundation in your area!

Iain Lawrence's THE GIANT-SLAYER is set in 1955 when Laurie's friend Dickie contracts polio and is confined to an iron lung, where she meets other kids trapped inside the breathing machines. Her abilities to spin fantastic stories will set them free and transport them into happier worlds in this fine story of shared friendships and power.

This book is wonderful! It combines historical accuracy about the polio epidemic, fantasy, and realistic relationships between kids. It also helps readers appreciate the value of storytelling. I hope it sells zillions of copies!

(By the way, the March of Dimes is no longer involved with polio, but the Rotary Club still is since there are a few remaining cases of that disease in the world and they want to wipe it out altogether.)