Seek [Hardcover]

Paul Fleischman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

Assigned to write his autobiography, high school senior Rob Radkovitz instead creates an oral portrait of his life, centering on the search for his missing father. Lenny G. abandoned Rob’s mother when she was pregnant, leaving behind a tape of his last show as a DJ and a record of the sounds of his native Louisiana. Author Paul Fleischman -- winner of the Newbery Medal for Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices and a Newbery Honor for Graven Images -- uses Rob’s memories: his crusty grandfather, his adoring aunts, his mother’s Spanish soap operas, his grandmother’s racy mysteries read aloud, and especially and repeatedly his father’s lone tape to build a counterpoint of past and present, recorded and heard, that is an ever-unfolding, ever fascinating fugue. Determined to find his father, Rob acquires a series of increasingly sophisticated radios, searching obscure stations across the country for that missing voice. This powerful need to find the absent part of his life drives the story forward as Rob both imitates his father in becoming a radio personality and makes a final break in accepting the family he has.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Late night. The boy listens to the radio and twirls the dial aimlessly to catch fragments of a talk show, a baseball game, jazz, rock, country & western, a Spanish soap opera, the curtain calls for a grand opera, a sermon, a newscast...

This is the raw material for the sound collage Paul Fleischman has put together to make an extraordinary novel that tells of a young boy's ongoing search through the airwaves for the DJ father he never knew. Added to the radio sound bites are other voices: love and wisdom from the boy's grandparents and mother, banter with his friends, hilarious bits from their alternative newspaper, scenes from his childhood--and his own voice reading from a school-assignment autobiography. Characteristically, the boy's father has left him only sound: a sound-effects record and a taping of his Golden Oldies call-in show. These become the recurring chorus for this cacophony that somehow takes on the shape of an engaging narrative, as the boy seeks and seeks, and finally outgrows his need and finds his own direction.

Paul Fleischman is the distinguished winner of a Newbery Medal (Joyful Noise), a Newbery Honor (Graven Images), two Golden Kites, and the Scott O'Dell Award (Bull Run). His interest in sound for its own sake has often taken him in new directions, none more audacious than this: a book which is entirely aural in a visual age, meant to be experienced through the mind's ear (instructions for performance are included) rather than the mind's eye. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell

From Publishers Weekly

Readers will strongly detect Fleischman's (Joyful Noise; Bull Run) ear for language and appreciation for family history in this story of a teen's life, which emerges as a lyrical symphony of voices. High-school senior Rob, inspired by his fascination with radios, chooses to write his autobiography (assigned for English class) in the form of a radio play. The narrator presents a series of monologues and dialogues that capture the essence of those who have influenced him most: his trilingual mother, his history-professor grandfather, his storytelling grandmother, the aunts who helped raise him, and his school friends. However, Rob is most conscious of the silence created by his absent father ("Somehow, that missing voice seemed to outweigh all those that were present," he reflects). In an attempt to fill the empty space left by the man he's never met, Rob tunes into radio stations across the country and beyond to listen to announcers, one of whom might just be his DJ father. The novel which combines elements of poetry, fiction, essay and drama will be best appreciated in a readers' theater kind of setting; otherwise, it can take some time to get one's bearings, as the narrative moves between flashbacks and contemporaneous conversations. But those who stick with this lively cast of characters, revealed solely through dialogue, will be rewarded. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Cricket Books/Marcato; 1 edition (September 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812649001
• ISBN-13: 978-0812649000
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,764,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California, the son of children's book author Sid Fleischman. Drawing on history, music, art, and theater, his books have often experimented with multiple viewpoints and performance. He received the Newbery Medal in 1989 for JOYFUL NOISE: POEMS FOR TWO VOICES, a Newbery Honor Award for GRAVEN IMAGES, the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for BULL RUN, and was a National Book Award finalist for BREAKOUT. He lives on the central coast of California.

For more information, visit paulfleischman.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best YA Book and Best Play I've Read in Years!, January 26, 2002

By 

Linda M. Smith "my paycheck goes to books" (Santa Ynez, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seek (Hardcover)

I received the book yesterday, read it in 3 hours, and have decided (unexpectedly) to try to have my class perform this as a play. It is simply wonderful. The characters are believable and endearing. The plot is hopeful, honest, and brilliantly executed. Without manipulating your feelings, you find yourself laughing, crying, and thinking about your own life. Paul Fleischman...I have now elevated you to my favorite author. Everyone else, please, please, please be sure to read this wonderful book. It will change you.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a very good book, January 2, 2002

By 

"buffetbob11" (the golden state) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seek (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a book with a plot that takes you by the hand and leads you through the whole book without so much as a bump in the road, this book is not for you.But if you are looking for something different, look no farther. This book is written in a collage of voices ranging from radio broadcasts to mexican soap operas. At first this mubble jumble of voices is very iscouraging because it is almost impossible to figure out what is happening abd ultimately what the book is about. But after you get past the beginning and the plot becomes more clear, you can begin to piece together all the voices and fin their unique part in the bigger picture. This is a very good book that has everything.At some parts it might be very sad or serious, while at others it was extremely funny. Since I have as of yet told you nothing about the plot, I will describe the plot in one sentence.The book is about a boys search for his father. I will tell you no more because the rest of the plot is for you to figure out. And perhaps it is the fact that you have to figure out the plot yourself that makes this such a great book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seek is Interesting, Unusual, and SO hard to put down!, January 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Seek (Hardcover)

This book is really cool. It is about a boy who searches for his father. It's really different because it tells the story entirely through quotes of the boy, Rob, along with his family, friends, and some tv and radio shows. This book is really good and I'm recommending it to all of my friends!