Longleaf (review)
2007; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 60; Issue: 9 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2007.0332
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)American Environmental and Regional History
ResumoReviewed by: Longleaf Deborah Stevenson Reid, Roger Longleaf. Junebug, 2007133p ISBN 1-58838-194-3$19.95 R Gr. 4-7 It all starts when Jason looks out of his airplane window and sees something strange on the ground: three men pushing a truck into a lake. Once the plane lands, thirteen-year-old Jason insists on reporting the event, taking it to the local sheriff when it turns out that the scene of his witnessed crime is right near where he and his scientist parents are camping in Alabama's longleaf pine forest. There he meets Leah, a savvy local girl who's in the know about fauna—including people—of the region; Leah becomes his ally when the dangerous Morris brothers find out that Jason witnessed their crime and try to shut his mouth—permanently. There's some unlikelihood in the events and, even more, the setup here, but the solid characterization of the kids, the touches of understated humor in Jason's ruefully self-aware narration, and the rich local atmosphere offer considerable compensation. Though Leah's speech is sometimes transcribed as dialect, that proves to be an important differentiation as Leah neatly crosses cultures between country girl and well-informed young naturalist. The information about local flora and fauna is modestly doled out and well integrated with the main story, which is an old-fashioned kids-vs.-criminals adventure with plenty of danger to keep the excitement up. Fans of Peg Kehret's novels and other middle-grade adventures will want to join Jason on his walk on the wild side. Copyright © 2007 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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