Masks [Paperback]

Hatrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1996

Desperate to help his older brother Will who has become paralyzed by a rare disease, Pete uses tribal animal masks to communicate with Will, allowing him to escape his useless body and embark on a series of strange and powerful dream journeys.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7?The two brothers in this novel are opposites. Will is athletic, cocky, and popular; Pete is shy, withdrawn, and intense. All of this changes when Will begins suffering from weakness and paralysis. He is diagnosed with having Guillain-Barre syndrome and becomes steadily worse, a prisoner in his own body. In desperation, Pete decides to resurrect a childhood game in which the boys used their father's collection of masks to become the animals represented. What Pete does not remember is that the game was forbidden when it became all too real and their parents found the boys locked in mortal combat as the Lion and Hyena. By taking Will various masks, Pete is able to temporarily free him from his body's current limitations. There is eventually a happy ending, with Will taking a turn for the better and the question of whether or not the brothers were participating in a rich fantasy or dealing with real magic still ambiguous. The characters are nicely drawn. Pete's initial anger and then graceful acceptance of the situation is believable. Much of the book consists of interior monologues, from both Pete and Will, which seem a bit stilted. However, the plot is well shaped and though it doesn't result in a gripping tale, the balance between the fantasy of the masks and the reality of Will's ailment, which is mirrored in the concerns (or lack thereof) over his spiritual and physical health, creates a story of quiet power. A promising debut.?Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. When Pete's big brother, Will, becomes paralyzed, Pete communicates with him by using the animal masks their anthropologist father has collected. The masks facilitate an out-of-body experience, with Will becoming the animal represented by the mask. Each encounter becomes more dangerous, however, and Will finds it increasingly difficult to return to his own body. Ultimately, Pete must don a mask himself to save his brother from the brink of death. The point of view jumps rather awkwardly back and forth between the boys, but the idea of two brothers connected by a supernatural bond will intrigue some readers. Pete is a little too perfect; his parents and the other adults in the story are not three-dimensional, but they are presented as responsible and positive characters. Janice del Negro

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Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531095142
• ISBN-13: 978-0531095140
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,687,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars What is magic?, July 18, 2007

By 

Raymond Mathiesen (Armidale, N.S.W., Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Masks (Paperback)

Will and Pete are very close teenage brothers, but one day Will is struck down by a strange paralyzing illness. Will this illness ultimately separate the brothers, or will they endure through it? The two boys soon begin a game of 'masks,' which they played long ago before they even went to school. Putting on the animal masks, which their anthropologist father has collected from around the world, the boys for a while become the animal in their imagination. Is this game helpful to Will or is it harmful? Are the masks really magic, as the primitive peoples who made them believe? What sinister thing happened in the past and how does this event relate to the game? This is a book about the role which both the mind and social relationships play in healing. It is also a book about magic, telepathy and the strange twists of fate that life can play.