From Publishers Weekly
Rylant (Missing May) breaks new ground with this allegorical tale set on an island off the coast of British Columbia. Through the perspective of an adult narrator revisiting his pivotal 10th year, Rylant has invoked the voice of a true loner attempting to connect with someone or something outside himself. Orphaned and living with his grandfather, Daniel feels utterly alone until he sights a mermaid, who later gives him the gift of a magic key. But when he attempts to share this climactic meeting with his grandfather, he finds himself even more isolated ("I knew that my grandfather believed I was not well, that my mind was not well, and that the loss of my parents and the loneliness of living with him had made me so"). The magic key acts as a divining rod, leading the boy to animals and a lost girl in need of help, and slowly bridges a link with others. While modern inventions (airplanes and refrigerators) indicate a contemporary setting, the protagonist seems to belong to another era, if not another world. By painstakingly building a moat around the narrator from the start, Rylant allows readers to cross the drawbridge with Daniel as he strives to understand the mysteries of the sea and his own heritage, and begins to recognize the love and family that was always with him. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4 Up?A young man recalls his childhood on a remote island off the coast of British Columbia. The novel begins when 10-year-old Daniel, who lives with his reticent grandfather, is overcome with loneliness and turns to the sea in search of a friend. In response to his message in a bottle, a mermaid briefly appears. Another note asking her to return results in a key delivered by an otter with a diamond-shaped mark on his forehead. Later, Daniel finds that the key has magical powers. He discovers that he has a talent for helping birds, and he and his grandfather grow closer as they care for them together. Many years later, his grandfather dies, and Daniel discovers a photo of a young girl and her dog, which has a white diamond-shaped mark on his forehead. He learns that the girl was his grandfather's sister who perished while diving into the ocean during a storm to save the dog. Entirely alone and grief stricken, Daniel suddenly feels the long-silent key vibrate once again. It leads him to a box containing a puppy, who becomes the first member of his new family. Drawing on her talent for simple yet beautiful language to tell a story, Rylant tries her hand at fantasy with mixed results. Her heavy reliance on symbolism finally snaps the thin threads of credulity so necessary in successful fantasy, and young readers may miss their meaning. In addition, the emphasis on Daniel's spiritual journey rather than his character and the unemotional account of events combine to reduce readers' involvement.?Maggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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