Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Mock Newbery: The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E.L. Konigsburg

Title: The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Publisher: Atheneum
ISBN-13: 978-1416949725
Starred review in: SLJ, Horn Book, PW

Review: Konigsburg weaves two sixth-grade boys, an eccentric opera singer, and a self-important art director with art history and the Holocaust. Amedeo Kaplan helps William Wilcox and his mom catalog the eccentric Mrs. Zender's house for her move (and downsizing) to an adult community. Along the way, the boys become friends and discover a Modigliani with a mysterious background. The plot bobs and zigzags before finally tying it all together. The language and themes are thought-provoking and include guilt, religious intolerance, homosexuality, friendship, heroism, and responsibility but the characters never really grabbed me.

Review by: Debby K., Oradell

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one who finds Konigsburg funny? I liked the character who wanted to be the first person to discover something. I thought the characters grew and evolved with the story.I thought this book was more appealing for adults, but I think that of other Konigsburg books too.
Beth J. Closter