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Paul Fleischman

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Mind's Eye Mass Market Paperback – March 13, 2001

by Paul Fleischman (Author)

4.1 14 ratings

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"One of those truly distinguished books that offers many rich layers for readers to reflect upon." -- School Library Journal, Starred

Sixteen-year-old Courtney was paralyzed in the accident. Never again will she walk, dance, run, or even leave the convalescent home where she lies in a bed, surrounded by the elderly and dying.

Or will she? When the elderly Elva asks her new roommate to read to her from the 1910 edition of Baedeker's Italy, Courtney reluctantly agrees. Each afternoon, for a short time, the two escape back in time from the darkness of winter in North Dakota. Where there seemed none, together they will find adventure, poetry, beauty, love, and most of all, hope.

Review

"Written with astonishing simplicity. . . . The relationship between Courtney and Elva is real and poignant." -- School Library Journal, Starred

"This provocative psychological drama portrays the mind as . . . capable of inspiring imagination and exposing difficult truths." -- Booklist

From the Inside Flap

One of those truly distinguished books that offers many rich layers for readers to reflect upon." -- School Library Journal, Starred

Sixteen-year-old Courtney was paralyzed in the accident. Never again will she walk, dance, run, or even leave the convalescent home where she lies in a bed, surrounded by the elderly and dying.

Or will she? When the elderly Elva asks her new roommate to read to her from the 1910 edition of Baedeker's Italy, Courtney reluctantly agrees. Each afternoon, for a short time, the two escape back in time from the darkness of winter in North Dakota. Where there seemed none, together they will find adventure, poetry, beauty, love, and most of all, hope.

About the Author

Paul Fleischman has won awards for his many young adult novels, including the Newbery Medal. His last novel, Whirligig, is also available in a Laurel-Leaf edition.

Reading age

12 - 18 years
Print length

112 pages
Language

English
Grade level

7 - 12
Dimensions

4.2 x 0.31 x 6.89 inches
Publisher

Laurel Leaf
Publication date

March 13, 2001
ISBN-10

0440229014
ISBN-13

978-0440229018
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Laurel Leaf; Reprint edition (March 13, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 112 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0440229014
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0440229018
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.2 x 0.31 x 6.89 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,436,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,755 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Emotions & Feelings
- #28,897 in Children's Books on Emotions & Feelings (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 14 ratings

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About the author

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Paul Fleischman

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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

4.1 out of 5

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Amazon Customer

Great book!

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

Read this book years ago. Very descriptive. This book makes my imagination run wild. Great book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2020

This gave me equinophobia.

Helpful

Faith Joy Olivares

Mind's Eyes (Fiction Book)

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2002

The Mind's Eyes is written by Pual Fleischman. Mind's Eyes is a book that talks about this girl. She was caught in an accident, and got her legs useless. Her mom died before she got in an accident and she was stuck with her step-father. She and her step-father wasn't really going along. Instead, her step-father married someone else and made the girl stay at a Home Care. From there she got new friends and a good room-mate. They would always think there were traveling somewhere like in Italy and make imaginary friends.
I love this book because you always want to know whats going to happen next when you have to stop reading. This book taught me something that I know and that I don't. One, is that always get to know the person you met first before you ignore them or leave them. The girl in the book got a friend (her room-mate) who is very old and likes to talk a lot. When the girl first knew the woman she wasn't didn't really like her from her talking and talking. But in the middle of the story they got along very well by using their imaginary people and things...

Helpful

james.stiller@sympatico.ca

A creative exploration into coping and happiness

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 1999

I have just finished "Mind's Eye" and am 'casting' the roles for my grade 9 class. I have prereading questions at the ready, and can't wait for my readers to present this fascinating drama to the class. I wish I had a couple of beds for the main characters to read from, but since this book deals with the ultra-power of the imagination, what the heck... Am going to search for a Baedeker 'Italy' (as old as I can find) just for authenticity. Many possibilities for discussion. Am sure the students writing will come easily. Truly thought provoking. Beautiful without being overly sentimental. Elva, I miss you.

21 people found this helpful

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LonestarReader

Voyage of the mind

Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2005

Paul Fleishman's books are always original. I was intrigued by the play-like dialogue format he used in this one.

Sixteen year old Courtney's spinal chord is severed. As her mother is no longer living, her stepfather places her in a nursing home. It is the middle of winter in North Dakota and the snow is falling outside her window. Courtney is the youngest person in the home and her roommate is 88 year old Elva, a former English teacher. Elva's mind is sharp. She is pleased to have Courtney as a roommate. She exhorts Courtney to expand her mind and convinces her to to read aloud from a 1910 edition of Baedeker's Italy so the two of them can take a virtual trip through time and space and tour Italy. They plan their routes and Courtney describes what they are "seeing." Courtney is understandably depressed and attempts to sabotage their "trip" but soon finds her own refuge in this voyage of the mind.

Fleishman has crafted a poignant and thoughtful story about survival of the spirit.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Fun For Awhile, But a Bleak Existence in the Long Term

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2007

Courtney has had a terrible accident that has left her paralyzed and living in a nursing home. She shares a room with May, who has Alzheimer's, and Elva, an elderly former schoolteacher. Courtney is a teenager and by decades the youngest person in the home; her only relative is a stepfather who was glad to have her out of the way.

When Courtney first arrives, she is resentful and stubborn. Her friends have all deserted her and she is feeling despondent about her situation. Elva is excited to have her there, though. As a child, Elva's sister played a game where she took her sister on an imaginary trip through some foreign and exotic land, describing the scenery from maps and guidebooks and inventing an itinerary. Elva wants to take one more imaginary trip--to Italy. She promised her husband before his death that she would visit the country, but after he died young she couldn't bring herself to go without him. Now that she is old, she is desperate to fulfill her promise, but her eyes have gone too bad to read the small print on the map and in the guidebook. Elva wants Courtney to come on her imaginary trip and help be her guide.

At first Courtney is skeptical and thinks the entire idea is stupid. But with some prodding from Elva, she decides to give it a try. Can she let go of her anger at the world long enough to imagine a successful trip?

This was an interesting idea, to take an imaginary trip that became so real in the minds of the travelers. I liked that the book was written entirely in dialogue, instead of narration; it was quick to read and interesting to see exactly how the characters interacted.

I didn't like that the ending was vague and not nearly as hopeful as I would have liked. What happens to Courtney? Is this what her entire life has become?

Helpful

impossible girl

Mind's Eye is a slow read

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 1999

I am a Fleischman fan, but this book was a very slow read for me. Not only did it leave large gaps of time that were never filled in, but often, it did not make much sense. I found little character development and almost no cues as to the setting of the book (other than the basic nursing home scenario). Had there been a little more background given for the characters involved, it would have been easier to sympathize with them.

One person found this helpful

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moijulita

Nice concept, but too short

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2001

"Mind's Eye" has a nice concept going, but the book is too short to sufficiently grasp the reader. The small, widely spaced pages are written in a screenplay format, so there are very few words and the main characters' lives are summed up in half of an already short page. Reading the book in forty-five minutes only gave me a small glimpse of what was going on; had the book been longer and not been a screenplay, I might have gotten to know Courtney and Elva better.

2 people found this helpful

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Mind's Eye Mass Market Paperback – March 13, 2001

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