Review of Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

I listened to this book on CD, and the beautiful Irish accent of the reader, Sile Bermingham, had me mesmerized from the very start. This book is written by the author of another of my favorite books, The London Eye Mystery. I don’t know a lot about the political struggle between Northern Ireland and Ireland, but I know a bit more after reading Bog Child. As usual, I appreciate history more when it’s related in a personal story. Fergus is out with his Uncle Tally, having crossed over the border into Ireland to illegally harvest turf, when he discovers a body in the bog. He insists on contacting the authorities, and when archaeologists come to extricate the body, they realize that it’s been there for a long, long time. Fergus feels a strange affinity for the dead girl, even dreaming about her and how she came to end up in the bog. He is also struggling with his own feelings about the struggle for independence. His brother is in prison, and has gone on hunger strike, like Bobby Sands, to protest Ireland’s refusal to label him as a political prisoner. Fergus also is approached by a friend of his brother’s, and coerced into carrying packages across the border on his daily runs. As if this isn’t enough, he finds himself falling for the daughter of the head archaeologist. The writing in this book is beautiful, and Fergus is a great genuine character. The book is funny and sad, my favorite combination. Review by Stacy Church

This month’s book now in! Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

This month’s book, a wonderful story of a boy growing up on the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland, is now available for pickup in the Young Adult Dept.  Review to follow.

75 belongings

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I’ve been mulling over Larry’s claim to only have 75 belongings.  I think he was cheating, because he didn’t have to count any of the things that belonged to his parents, but which he used to make his life comfortable on a daily basis.  I know, I know, he did go live in that hole in the ground, but that was only temporary.  Now here are the things that I would have trouble doing without.  I would add books, but instead I’ll have a library card, which will give me access to endless numbers of books, magazines, etc.  Theoretically,  I could use the computers there, too, but I’d really rather have my own. 

Stacy’s Review of The Gospel According to Larry

I first read this book right after it came out in 2001 (wow, that was 8 years ago!) and absolutely loved it.  I eagerly awaited the publication of the sequels and devoured them as well.  I chose the book for this month’s selection at the urging of some teens who love it, and I was so happy to find that on rereading, I enjoyed it just as much as the first time.  Of course the set-up of having the author pretend that the book they’re publishing is someone else’s manuscript given to them for safekeeping has been used before, but it does work for Tashjian, and is pretty much necessary for the way she wraps up the story.  The main character, Larry, is funny, and for me it’s totally believable that a dorky high-school kid would set up a web site where he could publish his own personal rants about society.  It’s also believable that people would stumble on the web site and take it to heart, particularly when the subject is anti-consumerism.  And poor Larry, all he really wants to do is move from friends with his best friend, Beth, to something else.  Some parts of the story are not so believable (would any teen, even a dork, sit at the make-up counter in a department store to talk to his dead mother?), but are entertaining enough to overlook the believability factor.  And really, an underground room that he dug himself?  Didn’t anyone ever tell him about the dangers of a cave-in? I love the photos of Larry’s possessions that he posts on his website to see if the clues can lead anyone to guess his identity.