From Publishers Weekly
Kornblatt (Eli and the Dimplemeyers) offers readers much to think about in his promising first novel. When Buddy White joins Sam Keeperman's fifth grade class, he is so withdrawn that he doesn't even say hello or pick up his pencil. Only Sam knows what is troubling him over the summer Buddy's mother (who was the Keepermans' housecleaner) was killed in a car accident. For not altogether convincing reasons, Sam keeps the news about Buddy's mother from everyone, including his best friend, Alex. When Sam tries reaching out to Buddy, even defending him from the taunts of their classmates, he opens a rift between himself and Alex, complete with a fistfight that gets both of them kicked off the soccer team. Sam's first-person narration touches on religious differences (Sam is Jewish, Buddy is a Jehovah's Witness) and uses, somewhat clunkily, Sam's Hebrew class discussions as a springboard for his questions about life and God (a lesson on God testing Abraham with the sacrifice of Isaac leads to "Did God let Laura die to test Buddy and his father?... Did God bring Buddy to Mrs. Bobson's class to test me?"). The issues and concerns are commendably large, even if the contrived setup diminishes their impact. Unobtrusive subplots (does Naomi Shrager have a crush on him?) round out the story. On balance, this fast-paced novel demonstrates the author's compassionate understanding of his subject. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-6-Fifth grade Sam wishes he could stop wondering about Laura White's death. After all, he barely knew his family's cleaning woman before she died in a car accident trying to avoid hitting a deer, "-but it's hard not to [wonder] when I knew the person who died and her son sits like a zombie three desks away from me." Laura's son, Buddy, is withdrawn and unapproachable, and after an initial failed attempt, Sam stops trying to talk with him. He does not, however, join his friend Alex in taunting Buddy, quietly at first, then openly. And that leads to trouble. Kornblatt draws his cast of believable characters with a gentle hand, allowing readers to identify and empathize with each of them. Sam struggles to make sense of his world and relationships that are suddenly reshaped by death, and Buddy, too, is struggling desperately with his loss. When he and Sam finally begin to weave a tentative web of friendship, Buddy confides that he is angry at his mother. The two have obvious differences: Sam is Jewish, Buddy a Jehovah's Witness; Buddy is poor and harassed by his classmates for wearing one of Sam's cast-off shirts. However, as they move into their new friendship, their awareness of one another grows. The author skillfully imbeds the central conflict into a familiar childhood world of sports, family challenges, school, and growing self-awareness, creating a thoughtful, believable resolution.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
