Printer Friendly
The Free Library
14,559,952 articles and books
Member login
User name  
Password 
 
Join us Forgot password?

McCaughrean, Geraldine. Not the End of the World.


McCAUGHREAN, Geraldine. Not the end of the world. HarperCollins. 244p. c2005. 0-06076030-3. $16.99. JS*

When I read the story of Noah's ark Noah’s Ark

preserves Noah’s family and animals from flood. [O.T.: Genesis 6:7–9]

See : Refuge
 to my son when he was little, his first question was: why did God destroy so many animals; were they bad too? This kind of skepticism is at the heart of McCaughrean's treatment of the famous story of the ark, the flood, the destruction of all living things Living Things may refer to:
  • Life, or things in nature that are alive
  • Living Things (band), a St. Louis musical group
  • Living Things (album) by Matthew Sweet
 (except those in the ark) because God was disgusted with creation and wanted to start over. She has made Noah a religious fanatic, convinced of his righteousness, with the two older sons, Ham and Shem, caught up in their own madness. The third son quietly takes over the care of the animals in the ark, nurturing them. The heroine of the tale is Noah's daughter Timna, who loves her father and wants him to be right, but in her heart she doubts everything. As the family sails mercilessly past the dead and dying people caught in the flood, Timna finds a chance to save a boy and his baby sister, and she hides them with the animals. She just can't believe it's righteous to ignore people in need.

The details of the care of the animals, the cold and damp conditions, the claustrophobia claustrophobia /claus·tro·pho·bia/ (-fo´be-ah) irrational fear of being shut in, of closed places.

claus·tro·pho·bi·a
n.
An abnormal fear of being in narrow or enclosed spaces.
, are described with McCaughrean's great skill. She develops the adult characters with the same care as the adolescents in the story (as she did in The Kite Rider). She has won awards for The Kite Rider and this story is equally marvelous. Religious fundamentalists who want to believe the story of Noah's ark as it is written in the Bible will squirm at McCaughrean's treatment; but the questions raised, as Timna struggles to understand the disaster happening all around her, trying to reconcile it with her saintly saint·ly  
adj. saint·li·er, saint·li·est
Of, relating to, resembling, or befitting a saint.



saintli·ness n.
 father's certainty that he knows the will of God, are valid questions, which only reflect her intelligence and righteousness. Living as we do these days in a world awash Awash (ä`wäsh), river, E Ethiopia, rising near Addis Ababa and flowing c.500 mi (800 km) to a swampy lake near the Djibouti border. The Awash Valley is important agriculturally and has hydroelectric plants.  with zealots Zealots (zĕl`əts), Jewish faction traced back to the revolt of the Maccabees (2d cent. B.C.). The name was first recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus as a designation for the Jewish resistance fighters of the war of A.D. 66–73.  who are convinced (like Noah) that God wills the destruction of those judged ungodly, this story takes on a whole level of meaning relevant to our times. Claire Rosser, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

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 2005 Kliatt
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2005, 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:Jul 1, 2005
Words:391
Previous Article:Mazer, Harry. Heroes Don't Run: A Novel of the Pacific War.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
Next Article:Meyer, L.A. Under the Jolly Roger: Being an Account of the Further Nautical Adventures of Jacky Faber.(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
Topics:



Related Articles
Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults.
Coping for Capable Kids.
Gifted grownups: The mixed blessings of extraordinary potential.(Review)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. The kite rider.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
Rx for parents.(The National Review Treasury of Classic Children's Literature)(The National Review Treasury of Classic Bedtime Stories)(Book Review)
Children, Power and Schooling: How Childhood Is Structured in the Primary School.(Special Publications)(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. Stop the Train!(Brief Article)(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
Kids on Wheels, Volume 1: A Young Person's Guide to Wheelchair Lifestyle.(Book Review)
The Middle Sister.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
McCaughrean, Geraldine. Not the end of the world.(Book review)(Children's review)

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