River Boy [Mass Market Paperback]

Tim Bowler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2002

Fifteen-year-old Jess's grandfather has just had a major heart attack, but he insists he finish his painting, River Boy. At first, Jess cannot understand why this painting is so important to her grandfather, especially since there doesn't seem to be any boy in it at all. But while swimming in the river herself, Jess begins to feel the presence of a strange boy. Could this be the same one her ailing grandfather struggles to paint? And if so, why has he returned?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"She needed to swim. To be deprived of swimming would be like a perverse kind of drowning. She loved the sensation of power and speed, the feeling of glistening in a bed of foam." Jess is a passionate distance swimmer, and has been looking for a unique water challenge to test her endurance. But when her adored grandfather, an irascible artist, suffers a heart attack, she focuses all her energy on making him well.

Though weak and perhaps dying, her grandfather insists that the family still take their planned vacation--a trip to the rural countryside where he spent his boyhood. There, Jess finds a river that is perfect for swimming, the same river that is the inspiration for her grandfather's latest painting, titled River Boy. As the shadowy image of a boy takes shape on her grandfather's canvas, Jess encounters her own river boy, a mysterious young man who seems to be able to swim as well as she does. In discovering how the two "river boys" are related, Jess finds both the swimming challenge she has been searching for and a graceful way to cope with her grandfather's passing.

British author Tim Bowler gently illustrates the fear of a loved one's passing by using a river's timeless flow as a metaphor for the journey of life. Teens will relate to Jess's frustration with her lack of control over her grandfather's situation, while being moved to a better understanding and acceptance of death. River Boy is the winner of the 1998 Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's literature. (Ages 11 and older) --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

It is the last wish of 15-year-old Jess's grandfather to return to his childhood home by the river. "Bowler's 1998 Carnegie Medal winner succeeds in conveying the strong bond between Jess and her grandfather; as the novel unfolds, the heroine realizes they have more in common than she'd ever imagined," said PW. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)n

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (January 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689848048
• ISBN-13: 978-0689848049
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #893,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliantly touching and mystical masterpiece, May 9, 2000

By 

Stacey Legge (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: River Boy (Galaxy Children's Large Print) (Paperback)

Tim Bowler portrays the relationship between Jess and her Grandpa with sensitivity but at no time does it become over-sentimental. There are many mystical, spiritual and emotional elements to this book that make it a book which is accessible on so many levels. I am 21 years old and read this book because I had to study it as part of my teaching degree but would definately put it into my top ten - it reminded me so much of my relationship with my own grandad. This will most certainly become a classic in children's literature

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars river review, October 31, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: River Boy (Mass Market Paperback)

The book I chose to read and review was River Boy by Tim Bowler. It is a very interesting book to read which is very surprising to me because the cover made it seem like a boring book (never judge a book by it's cover. The story had a mystery to it that you couldn't figure out until the very end of the book. I like how the author used the river flowing like humans' life and death. Our birth is where the river forms and our struggles are like the rivers fast times and slow times and the river finally flows into the ocean, and that is our death. I enjoyed this book a lot and is now one of my favorite books. It must be good because it won the 1998 Carnegie medal (which is a medal for the best childrens book). It was a good book to me so I think reader age13-17 would enjoy it also.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ride the river..., July 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: River Boy (Mass Market Paperback)

The book is about Jess and her ill grandfather. Jess's grandfather just had a heart attack, but before dying, he wishes to complete a painting. To him, painting is like breathing, and w/o finishing it, he would die unfulfilled. The painting is named River Boy, and shortly after, Jess starts seeing this River Boy. For Jess, it is a long ride to let go of her grandfather and to understand the past of this mysterious "river boy".
The book is a good quick read, so that afterwards you can reflect on its meaning. It has a slight deepness that's attractive, but not too much, so that it doesn't make the reader sink. Instead, it is slow, gentle, yet enticing. Enjoy it.