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November 2008
ELLISON,
Elizabeth Stow.
Flight.
245p. CIP.
Holiday House.
2008.
Tr $16.95.
ISBN 978-0-8234-2128-2.
LC 2008009372.
Gr 4-7–Twelve-year-old
Samantha, the narrator of this novel, is
uncomfortable about escalating battles over her
brother Evan’s behavior. As a high school
freshman, he continues to have difficulties
meeting his teachers’ expectations. His mother
has long ignored their requests that he undergo
testing for learning disabilities. Evan’s
parents expect him to be like his
high-achieving, sports-minded older brother.
Eventually, he discloses that he cannot read and
reveals what he has long suspected: neither can
his energetic, highly involved, civic-minded
mother. Readers will appreciate the gently
hinted-at optimistic ending: Evan’s painting of
owls in flight in the woods near his Orinda, CA,
home earns a second-place ribbon in a local art
contest he secretly entered. In acknowledging
Evan’s artistic talent, his parents open the
door to getting him help as they start to
confront his mother’s secret. In spite of the
cover illustration, which makes both Samantha
and Evan look much younger than they are,
readers will find a sensitively told story about
the toll that hidden illiteracy has on one
family. While the author clearly foreshadows the
mother’s inability to read, the theme does not
overpower the story. More obvious is the
symbolism of the owls in flight as a way for
Evan to rise above his turbulent home life. An
obvious choice for a classroom read-aloud or as
a discussion opener on a topic uncomfortable for
many families.–Ellen
Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
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