The Hangashore [Hardcover]

Geoff Butler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 1998 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Trouble begins in a small Newfoundland fishing outport when a new magistrate arrives from England. A pompous and arrogant man, he expects deference without doing anything to earn it. The magistrate’s attitude is contrasted sharply with that of John, a young man with Downs Syndrome, who measures people by their behaviour, not reputation. It takes a near tragedy at sea to show the magistrate who holds the better set of values.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8?This lengthy picture book is set in a small fishing village in Newfoundland at the end of World War II. Magistrate Mercer arrives from England intending to "improve" the behavior of "colonials" by setting an example of reserved behavior and strictly following social protocol. The people respect him but don't embrace him. When he refuses to give up his front-row pew to accommodate a service honoring local soldiers, he angers many townspeople but they remain silent. Only the minister's 16-year-old son, recognized as being "slow or not right in the head," has the courage to challenge him, calling him a "hangashore"?a local term for "a pitiful person." This so angers the magistrate that he threatens to institutionalize John for being a "half-wit." But when the magistrate's life is threatened in a fishing accident and it is John who saves him, the man changes his mind about the boy, and about his own role in the community. The full-page oil paintings give readers a good sense of the island's landscape, the muted outdoor colors contrasting with the vivid reds inside the church. The portraits of the magistrate and John effectively deepen the characterizations provided by the text. The story has appeal for those who might be interested in Newfoundland.?Virginia Golodetz, Children's Literature New England, Burlington, VT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

Trouble begins in a small Newfoundland fishing outport when a new magistrate arrives from England. A pompous and arrogant man, he expects deference without doing anything to earn it. The magistrate?s attitude is contrasted sharply with that of John, a young man with Downs Syndrome, who measures people by their behaviour, not reputation. It takes a near tragedy at sea to show the magistrate who holds the better set of values.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tundra Books; First Edition edition (April 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887764444
• ISBN-13: 978-0887764448
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,083,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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