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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Owls Entire, October 13, 2006
This review is from: Wabi (Hardcover)
Boy! What a great book!
My reviews tend to be long lengthy affairs utilizing words like "the text" and "metaphor" and who knows what all. Now I just finished "Wabi" by Joseph Bruchac and I'm battling a near overwhelming temptation to leave my first sentence right at that. I mean, what more is there to say? This is a fantastic work of fiction with enough excitement, romance, magic, adventure, and feats of strength to wow even the most reluctant of readers. You like animal stories? How about books with monsters in them? Do you like books with Native American culture woven in? How about a story of one boy trying to find his place in the world? Doggone it, this book has EVERYTHING you could possibly want in a piece of fiction. I feel like the grandfather at the beginning of "A Princess Bride" trying to convince his grandson that he holds in his hands a truly great story. Joseph Bruchac has put together a book that has a little bit of something for everyone. The result is one of the strongest titles of the year.
He was born a rather small and runty owl. As a chick, Wabi wasn't particularly strong, but he was clever and curious, and those traits held him in good stead. After being unceremoniously kicked out his nest by his older bully of a brother, Wabi meets up with his great-grandmother who immediately teaches him everything he needs to know. Together the two take care of a small village of people that live not far from the owls' home. All kinds of nasty monsters and aberrations of nature threaten the peaceful villagers and Wabi protects them as best he can. Slowly, however, he falls in love with a girl in the village. Her name is Dojihla and she's a strong, headstrong, single-minded type. So it is that great-grandmother lets Wabi in on a secret. If he wants to, he can change into a human being and attempt to win Dojihla's hand in marriage. Things do not go entirely as Wabi might have expected, however, and now he must fight numerous monsters, locate a missing wolf pack, and rescue the villagers once more if he is ever to reach the end of his own personal journey.
First off, it's nice to have a narrator you really like right from the beginning of the book. Wabi has a sense of humor and sense of self that just feel true. He seems like a real person (slash owl) from start to finish and you're rooting for him the entire way. The sense of humor I mentioned is important too. There are plenty of adventure novels out there that take their quests so seriously you'd think the whole affair would fall apart if anything halfway amusing happened in it. Bruchac, on the other hand, isn't afraid to have Wabi refer to his brother as an ornicidal maniac one moment and then dryly describe the fact that while it wasn't necessary to deliver three additional bone-crushing bones to a particularly nasty dead beastie, "... it made us feel better."
I don't know if you'd characterize this as a book that always keeps you guessing, but it certainly keeps you reading from start to finish. Basically this is a Native American superhero tale. Wabi begins life small, rises to great heights (literally... HA HA), finds the woman he loves, protects her people with his amazing abilities, has his secret identity revealed (did I mention his feathered ears before?), and triumphs in the end. The book even reminded me of some of the more classic tales in literature. At one point Wabi is in human form with his grandfather's bow and he challenges a fellow to string it. The guy, of course cannot, and then Wabi does so with ease. Doesn't that sound just a touch like a story of Odysseus? Small moments that knowingly or unknowingly refer to other myths in history and literature give the book a nice zing of recognition once in a while.
Here's what it all comes down to, though. I can praise the writing and the storytelling and the fun of the book, but as I see it this is one of the very few books that kids of all ages, genders, etc. will enjoy equally. How many children's books, really good really well-written children's books, can you say that for in 2006? It has some mild similarities to "Owl In Love", by Patrice Kindl of course, but this is an entirely different critter. I'm a Wabi fan through and through, and I don't think I'm the only one. A sleeper hit of the year, if I don't miss my guess.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A Legend Well Told!, November 10, 2009
A beautiful tale based on a Native American legend about a runt owl named Wabi. Before Wabi could fly, he was pushed out of his nest by his larger brother. Instead of falling to his death, he ended up in some briers, getting more tangled as he struggled. A fox saw his fall and was just about to eat Wabi, when he was rescued by his great-grandmother. She took care of him and taught him many great things, including the fact that they could speak in human language as well as other animal languages. Wabi was fascinated with humans and would go and watch the nearby village, being amused with all the activities that went on. He was also saddened, as he wanted to badly to be able to play some of the games that he saw the children play. After many months of watching the village, he came to realize that he had fallen in love with the chief's daughter. His only dream was to become human so he could spend his life with her. The paths Wabi chose and the adventures he went on, truly made him a hero.
This was such a beautiful and well told story. It was filled with magic, monsters, animals that talked, adventure, suspense, loyalty, and friendship, with a dash of humor thrown in. I adored Wabi from the start. His character was full of spunk and wit that made him lovable and with depth. Many times I found myself chuckling at something he did or said. At the same time, when he struggled with his love for a human, and the paths he chose, I found myself wrapped up in the process and not wanting him to continue with the choice he made - at least not at first. However, there is always a great lesson to be learned from a legend... "Be who you are." This is a great story that will make you laugh and possibly cry - and will leave you fully satisfied. Highly recommended for all ages.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful book, September 23, 2006
This review is from: Wabi (Hardcover)
This is a terrific, fun book with a compelling narrative voice and lots of cool monsters. I laughed out loud several times at Wabi's adventures, and cried twice. My kids and I read parts of it out loud last night, then I finished it, and the 11-year-old is up in her room this morning, reading it.
I've read a lot of YA fantasy this year, and this is the best of the lot.
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