The Fire-Eaters.THE FIRE-EATERS. David Almond David Almond (* May 15 1951 in Felling near Newcastle, England) is a British children's writer who has penned several novels, each one to critical acclaim. Born and raised in Felling and Newcastle in post-industrial North East England and educated at the University of East Anglia, . 2003/ 2004. Read by Daniel Gerroll Daniel Gerroll (October 16, 1951) is an English theatre and television actor. Born in London, Gerroll has appeared on television in both Great Britain and America, although his greater contribution has been to the stage in both countries. . 4 cds. 4 hrs. Listening Library, Random House Audio. 1-4000-8563-2. $25.00. Vinyl; plot, author, reader notes. J In a slice-of-life novel, Bobby Burns, 12 in 1962, tells of life in a small English town at a disquieting dis·qui·et tr.v. dis·qui·et·ed, dis·qui·et·ing, dis·qui·ets To deprive of peace or rest; trouble. n. Absence of peace or rest; anxiety. adj. Archaic Uneasy; restless. time. He and his mother, on holiday, encounter a fire-eating "escapologist es·cap·ol·o·gy n. The art, skill, or practice of escaping. es  cap·ol ," a troubled man his father recalls from Burma in WW If. His father appears mortally ill with a condition the doctors cannot diagnose. The family is poor, as are their friends: the future looks unpromising. The Cuban missile crisis Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962, major cold war confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union. After the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the USSR increased its support of Fidel Castro's Cuban regime, and in the summer of 1962, Nikita Khrushchev secretly decided to crowds the television news, presaging world destruction. Because he is working class, Bobby encounters discrimination at the Catholic school that had seemed to hold out such hope. He is expelled when he helps an upper-class student expose a vicious discipline authority. Yet, a biology teacher (who gets him reinstated) creates excitement in learning, and Bobby has supportive friends and a beach at which to hang out. Gerroll's gentle English voice narrates Bobby and other characters effectively. Almond's other books for young people have won high awards (and this novel in hardcover has been named a 2005 ALA Best Book for YAs and won the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award), but this reviewer re·view·er n. One who reviews, especially one who writes critical reviews, as for a newspaper or magazine. reviewer Noun a person who writes reviews of books, films, etc. Noun 1. believes that most young people, especially in America where the setting and characters are basically unfamiliar, will find the book tedious reading or listening. Edna Boardman, Libn., Bismarck, ND, Libn., Bismarck, ND J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion