I read quite a few Young Adult-level books, mostly trying to keep in touch with what my kids are reading. Also, the truth is that sometimes they’re just fun. So, I’ve read a number of series for which I don’t necessarily fit the target demographic. I thought about listing the books that I’ve read over the past year or year and a half … I decided to spare you. My point, though, is simple: Very rarely do they really impress me.
Some are better than others at using humor, telling a compelling story, making me care about the characters, and so on. Some teach lessons better than others, and some are just phenomenally gripping. Rarely does one cause my jaw to drop with the brilliance of what it does.
However, it is also rare that a children’s/young adult novel weaves its moral lessons so cleverly as to force the reader to stop and rethink major life issues. Stonewall Hinkleman and the Battle of Bull Run does exactly that, and yet is tremendously fun to read. Riddleburger’s The Qwikpick Adventure Society talked about such issues as urban sprawl, buying up small businesses, and kids losing play options as roads expand, and took the opportunity to talk about people who don’t observe Christmas. Stonewall Hinkleman takes on nothing less than war, and does it without simplifying the questions … Truly, the authors raise the questions, they don’t really answer them for you. What’s right? What’s wrong? What Stonewall does is what he has to do, whether he likes it or not. Read the rest of this entry »
