Library Notes, Pam Everhardt Bloom, April 23, 2012


In Lieu of “The Hunger Games”

I must admit; I’ve yet to read the “Hunger Games.” I will read it, if for no other reason than I promised a child and also because friends from 10 to 70 tell me they love it. Naturally I’ve heard fabulous reviews; however, one reviewer’s comment that I can’t forget was on NPR and ended with the announcer’s confession that he just wanted to read a Jane Austen after reading books from this dystopian genre. To be perfectly honest, his voice sounded like he needed a Jane Austen novel – desperately. His review led me to the young adult section at the library. His lament brought me to choices, while not purely utopian, were definitely not dystopian and highly appropriate for many of us who still enjoy a bit of mystery and magic, with a good dose of hope and moral purpose woven into the story.

My first stop was at author Madeleine L’Engle, perhaps best known for “A Wrinkle in Time.” L’Engle was a prolific writer, publishing over 60 books. In the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Marygail G. Parker writes of “a peculiar splendor” describing this author’s body of work. Many of her books are found within the young adult section of the library. Do not let that designation deter those of you beyond those young adult years. As L’Engle once said, “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”

In “The Arm of the Starfish” and “Dragon in the Water”, characters Meg Murray and Calvin O’Keefe from a “Wrinkle in Time” are now married with equally interesting children. “The Arm of the Starfish” combines the science and science fiction possibilities of the regenerative properties of starfish with mystery, politics, and intrigue and introduces the reader to lovable and sometimes realistically flawed characters. Book two, “Dragons in the Water” takes the O’Keefe family to Venezuela where they quickly become involved in stolen art and murder, along with native healers and the ecology of village life. Both books offer more than mere mysteries. Her characters learn lessons from life, lessons about themselves and others. For her characters, introspection is as important as any of the action in moving the story to its conclusion.

I chose a third book for no reason other than the title, “The Lost Songs” and its categorization as a Junior Library Guild selection. Caroline Cooney, award winning author of more than 90 books, tells the story of a southern community and the lost songs of teenager Lutie Painter’s ancestors. She intertwines these songs in surprising ways into the lives of Lutie and her friends and acquaintances, Doria, Kelvin, and Train. Like L’Engle, Cooney’s characters delve into an examination of life that leads to sometimes unsettled conclusions and I reread the last chapters for pure pleasure and because I didn’t want the story to end.

I find that L’Engle and Cooney weave a theme of hope and moral purpose throughout their stories without being preachy. Perhaps, that is also what the NPR reviewer needed from Jane Austen’s books. I “hope” to find the same magic in “The Hunger Games.” It’s the next book on my reading list.