Rainy Season [Library Binding]

Adele Griffin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Lane watches and worries over her younger brother, Charlie, who seems to act crazy all the time. And lately, news of unrest in the Panama Canal Zone -- the area around the army base where she lives -- makes her more anxious than ever.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ambitiously conceived and sharply observed, this debut novel points to a promising new talent. Making few concessions to her audience, Griffin describes a single day in the life of 12-year-old Lane Beck, daughter of a career Army officer stationed in the Panama Canal. It's 1977, and Lane and her unruly younger brother, Charlie, are at the end of an unexpected vacation occasioned by the flooding of their school. This mishap, mentioned only peripherally, foretells a larger, unstated theme about acknowledging forces or circumstances beyond a person's control. To her parents' annoyance, Lane suffers anxiety attacks: "It's not like I can pretend I don't know why I get like this," Lane says at the end of the first chapter. Instead of spelling out Lane's history, Griffin unfolds the events of the day and lets the reader make sense of them. Lane and Charlie, it emerges, had an older sister, Emily, who died in a car accident, and Lane and Charlie's parents have attempted, military-style, to impose order on the family's grief by forbidding anyone to talk of Emily. That Griffin reveals this tragedy deep into her story without resorting to melodrama or otherwise manipulating the reader is in large part due to her rapid pacing and astute characterizations. Even the most minor of figures-an officer's nameless wife at a party, a girl trying to weasel out of a dare to jump from a water tower in the Canal-seems robust, to have a life beyond the page. This is not a perfect novel-the beginning in particular is difficult to penetrate-but it is an auspicious one. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Griffin's story takes place during one day in 1977 in Panama. The narrator, 12-year-old Lane, and her family are "Zonies," Americans living and working in the Canal Zone but not affiliated with the U.S. Army. Lane suffers from anxiety, and her brother, Charlie, is reckless and unpredictable. Their emotional problems seem to stem from a mysterious event in the family's past. Lane, Charlie, and some friends set out to build a fort in preparation for a possible battle with kids from the other side of the Zone. In the meantime, Lane is trying to deal with the traumatic incident's long-term effects on her family. The plot includes some tension concerning President Carter's plans to return the Canal to Panama, the rank and social status of Army personnel and their families, and the foreigners' relationship with native Panamanians. While the writing is evocative and the author captures the setting and the nuances of adolescent relationships well, the ideas are inadequately developed. The family secret is not explained until the final pages, and even then its connection to the characters' motivations is obscure. There are all kinds of vague allusions to the past, too many events turn out to be irrelevant, too many characters are unnecessary, and the essential characters, while intriguing, are poorly developed. When the family secret is finally revealed, it is too late for there to be any healing or growth. There are just too many ideas and not enough novel in Rainy Season.
Lucinda Lockwood, Thomas Haney Secondary School, Maple Ridge,
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding
• Publisher: Sagebrush Education Resources (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613086163
• ISBN-13: 978-0613086165
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,850,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Look for All You Never Wanted (Random House) coming out in 2012.

Also Tighter is out this spring in paperback. With a really awesome new jacket.

And, if you're still interested, check out www.tighterthebook.com

You can find me on twitter, facebook, or on the web at www.adelegriffin.com.

Drop me a note and I promise to answer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a gem!, October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Rainy Season (Paperback)

Adele Griffin is a master of dialogue and puts together an incredibly compelling children's novel in a fascinating place -- the Panama Canal zone. The book is so well paced it just really builds steam... A fantastic book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars leaves you remembering for days, March 1, 2005

By 

16 year old lifelong reader "Me" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rainy Season (Paperback)

Rainy Season is an awesome book. If you havent yet read the editorial reviews on this page, DONT. this book will take your breath away, but they give away something important.

Rainy Season is immensely realistic- it is painted with the kind of details one notices in every day life. Lane's thoughts especially are written ultra naturally- ms. griffin doesnt try to emphasize the important ones or censor the less focused ones, they just come out the way anyone's would.

some of the reviews made a big deal about the whole panama canal issue in the book, maybe im just ignorant about the importance of it but i didnt find it to play an enormous part in the plot. It and the conflicts were definitely mentioned and described, but in the way that any 12 year old girl would describe her surroundings.

i don't want to give too much away, but i can't suggest enough that you read this book. it is meaningful and haunting and also just a fast-paced, enjoyable read. i found it randomly at the library years ago and read it without knowing really what it would be about, and therefore was stunned to find the story unfold. I know that I for one often am forced to be careful about what I read, trying as hard as I can to guarantee I'll enjoy a book before investing time in it. This is one book you can take the chance on without needing to know the specifics of what you're getting into. The book's more meaningful if you discover each page.

Enjoy :-)