GENRE: Fiction
HONORS:Books for the Teen Age
New York Public Library
Golden Kite Award
Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award
Washington Evergreen Award
REVIEW: Whirligig is a bleak story turned bright about Brent, a self-conscious teen who gets behind the wheel after a drunken humiliation at a party from the girl he wanted to swoon. In the mist of his drunken suicide attempt, he hits and kills a girl names Lea, a senior in high school. When the families try to reach a settlement, Lea's mother's wish is for Brent to visit the four corners of San Diego, Seattle, Miami, and a small town in Maine to mound a whirligig. Readers will be attracted to the adventures of a young teen trying to find his way, as well as the transition to the perspectives of the characters in each city. As the story progresses, Brent becomes more skillful at creating the playful ornament, and one sees its random effects on unsuspecting people.
OPINION: Paul Fleischman's stories are distinguishable for their multi-cultural attributes. Lea happens to be of Filipino decent, and on a personal note, I did feel like the way of describing her was a little stereotypical, which is something that I suspected in Seedfolks. The message is still the same, which is that people are good at heart and its the small actions that make a big impact.
IDEAS: A good book for social studies bibliography on multiculturalism.
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