Printer Friendly
The Free Library
14,496,641 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

Haycak, Cara. Red Palms.


HAYCAK, Cara. Red palms. Random House, Laurel Leaf. 327p. c2004. 0-553-49412-0. $6.50. S*

To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, November 2004: This first novel by an author with experience working with tribal people in South America South America, fourth largest continent (1991 est. pop. 299,150,000), c.6,880,000 sq mi (17,819,000 sq km), the southern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere.  is remarkable. It begins in 1952, when Benita is 14 years old, and we get a glimpse of the privileged life she and her family are used to in a city in Ecuador. Twenty-seven pages later she and her family are transported to an island where her bankrupt father intends to establish a coconut plantation. The only inhabitants
:This article is about the video game. For Inhabitants of housing, see Residency
Inhabitants is an independently developed commercial puzzle game created by S+F Software. Details
The game is based loosely on the concepts from SameGame.
 of the island are native people. Months pass, the conditions deteriorate for the family, the father drinks, and Benita develops a crush on Paul, one of the few natives who speaks Spanish, Benita's language. Midway through the book, Benita and Raul run away together to a secret location across the island where they live simply until their relationship falls apart. Paul is Paul I, 1754–1801, czar of Russia (1796–1801), son and successor of Catherine II. His mother disliked him intensely and sought on several occasions to change the succession to his disadvantage.  wounded, and Benita must find a way to get them back home. She is helped by a mysterious creature, Ay Pook, perhaps a witch, perhaps a forest goddess named Yanasa, perhaps a vicious jungle cat jungle cat: see lynx.  who attacks Raul.

That is the rough outline of the plot, but it only hints at the richness of this novel. Benita is a highly intelligent and sensitive young woman, who learns to survive a bad relationship and a difficult family situation, who learns to survive in the jungle, and who keeps a Pablo Neruda Noun 1. Pablo Neruda - Chilean poet (1904-1973)
Neftali Ricardo Reyes, Neruda, Reyes
 poem in the journal she carries with her always. Haycak is a gifted writer who describes well the emotional nuances, the cultural conflicts, the incredible landscapes, even the strange religion of the islanders Islanders may refer to:
  • New York Islanders, a ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York that plays on the National Hockey League (NHL).
  • Puerto Rico Islanders, a Puerto Rican soccer team in the USL First Division, that currently play their home games at Juan Ramon
. Benita and Paul have a sexual relationship, described in some detail, which might mean the book is inappropriate for middle school libraries, but certainly all YA collections in public libraries and all high school libraries should consider this for purchase. Claire Rosser, KLIATT

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

*--The asterisk (1) See Asterisk PBX.

(2) In programming, the asterisk or "star" symbol (*) means multiplication. For example, 10 * 7 means 10 multiplied by 7. The * is also a key on computer keypads for entering expressions using multiplication.
 highlights exceptional books.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Kliatt
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

 Reader Opinion

Title:

Comment:



 

Article Details
Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:Rosser, Claire
Publication:Kliatt
Article Type:Book review
Date:May 1, 2006
Words:337
Previous Article:Goobie, Beth. The Dream Where the Losers Go.(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)
Next Article:Hinton, S.E. Hawkes Harbor.(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)
Topics:



Related Articles
Coping for Capable Kids.
Haycak, Cara Red palms.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Dell/Delacorte/Knopf/Random House.(Life In The Fat Lane)(Journey Of Hope)(Angels In Pink)(Sharing Sam)(10 Things To Do Before I Die)(Fat Boy...
Children, Power and Schooling: How Childhood Is Structured in the Primary School.(Special Publications)(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
The Book of Dead Days.(Young Adult Review)(Audiobook Review)(Book Review)
Companion to American Children's Picture Books.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Cook, Sally: Good Night Pillow Fight.(Book review)(Brief review)
MacHale, D.J. The Quillan Games.(young adult book)(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)
Na, An. Wait for me, a novel.(young adult book)(Young adult review)(Book review)
Melling, O.R. The summer king.(young adult book)(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)

Terms of use | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc. | Feedback | For webmasters | Submit articles