7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An awesome debut novel! Entertaining! Educational! Explosive!, January 9, 2008
This review is from: Quaking (Hardcover)
When I saw "Quaking" reviewed on the TeensReadToo web site, I mentioned it to my best friend who is a Quaker. She said she'd read it and found it very moving, and encouraged me to read it too. I'm certainly glad I did.
What she failed to tell me is that it's a kid's book--and I love to read kid's books. Actually, Amazon has it listed in the 9-12 age range, but since the protagonist is fourteen, it should be listed as Young Adult (YA). Personally, I think it's one of those books that's a cross-over, written to appeal to adults as well as kids ... like so many YA books are.
Kathryn Erskine's debut novel tells the story of Matt (and DON'T call her Matilda!) who is an abused fourteen-year-old shunted from one foster home to another. Matt dresses Goth and memorizes the floor, hiding from the trauma of her past, spurning all offers of kindness and care. What a culture shock for her to end up in the home of Quakers Sam and Jessica Fox!
The story builds in intensity as Matt begins to care about her foster parents and becomes involved with the Quaker peace testimony. Feelings about the war in the Middle East run high in her school and her town, with the school bully ("the Rat") and a teacher ("Mr. Warhead") leading the charge against local pacifists.
Matt tries to hide her fear of the Rat and his gang, but as the town begins to erupt with violent attacks against houses of worship, she knows it's only a matter of time until the Quaker Meeting House and her foster father are victims. Eventually, in an explosive ending, Matt finds her voice and the strength to face her fear and stand up for her own convictions.
The author challenges herself by telling the story in Matt's own voice and does a masterful job of bringing the strong, loving girl out of her protective shell. She uses icons of a happy childhood to expose cracks in Matt's armor. The mesmerizing rhythm of Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" find the first chink: <<"And then I remember how dangerous it is to go to that place. The place you think is safe. Because it is not.">>
Jessica's homemade soup dissolves the last of Matt's defenses: <<"I love this soup. I want to hide in this soup, among its carrots and potatoes and celery and chicken and warm breath ... I want to fall asleep in this soup, wrapping myself in its wide noodles and using a soft lima bean for a pillow.">>
That last passage is like magic to me; a marvelous image that may be my favorite in the entire book!
I particularly enjoyed this book because I learned more about my friend's church. "Quaking" reveals a lot about Quakers and their testimonies, but first and foremost, it's a brilliant YA novel about a young girl who opens her heart to unconditional love. I recommend this beautifully written story for the whole family.
Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, 2008
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Quaking - the shaking before the calm, June 30, 2007
This review is from: Quaking (Hardcover)
QUAKING is a book about seeking peace. It tells the tale of an exceptionally bright girl named Matt who has been thrown about and bruised by the foster care system so often that she has developed a dark, tough exterior to cover the fears that often find her quaking. When she lands with Sam and his family of gentle, peace-seeking Quakers, she discovers that sometimes you have to face your fears instead of hiding from them. Few readers will fail to identify, down into their innermost core, with the basic terrors that haunt Matt. And no one can help but rejoice as Matt forces herself to rise about them to help her new family in it's quest for a peaceful existence. Erskine writes even the simplest scenes with gut-wrenching emotion. And her masterful treatment of the love that Sam and his family show Matt, such as when Jessica bakes Matt a pie, will leave the reader in tears. But most importantly, this is a must-read for young people left confused by today's enviroment of intolerance and war. A great debut novel (hope there will be more!)and an unforgettable read that will leave you quaking.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
top-notch debut, July 1, 2007
This review is from: Quaking (Hardcover)
So often readers are asked to embrace characters who've been abandoned, and hardened by that abandonement. We're asked to cheer them on despite how unlovable they are, and to believe in their sudden transformation --right around the end of the book -- into warm, loving people.
Thankfully, Kathryn Erskine has figured out a way to create something far better. Her character Matt has lived an awfully hard life, and it is easy to understand why she is self-protective. Luckily, she's funny, too, and her unique way of viewing the world is genuinely charming. Her new world--with foster parents Sam and Jessica, and in the hallways of a new-to-her high school--is both recognizable to readers and strangely new and interesting. I especially enjoyed the look inside her foster parents' Quaker life.
I also enjoyed the way the book explored peace and its opposites, and the different ways people can work to achieve the kind of peace that is important to them.
On top of that, Erskine can WRITE. There are sentences here that make you say "ooh," out loud. There were a number that I had to reread a few times for pure enjoyment.
I'm looking forward to more books by this author!
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