VVMBookBlog

Crossing to Paradise by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Crossing to Paradise is the companion book to Crossely-Holland’s Arthur Trilogy series. Since I have not read the Arthur Trilogy series, it may explain my opinion that the book was difficult to get started. Once one is engaged in the book (probably the series), it becomes a series of adventures and perhaps romance. The book takes place in the Medieval Crusades which are a series of religious wars. Gatty, the main characters, starts off as a field girl and becomes integral to the story. It is her singing ability that gets her noticed. Although one could read this book alone without first reading the other books in the trilogy, I might start with book one, The Seeing Stone. It is obvious from reading this historical fiction novel that Kevin Crossley- Holland has done immense study about the Crusades and the Middle Ages.

This is one of my favorite kinds of books–teen main characters trying to make sense of their world and who they are, parents who seem to be clueless, possibilities of hope laced in the story, and enough action and conflict to keep me reading to the end!

17-year-old Liam is the son of a former fashion model and a straight-arrow, no-nonsense father who doesn’t approve of anything Liam does.  Too much bad behavior finally gets Liam kicked out of the house and he goes to live with his father’s brother, “Aunt Pete,” a DJ, glam rocker, who is gay, lives in a trailer and has his own issues with Liam’s father and grandparents.  It seems like Liam couldn’t find many more ways to get in trouble, even after moving in with Aunt Pete.  But working with Liam to figure out why he is such a “screwup” is what keeps us reading to the end of this very satisfying story.

Go Liam!

As this story begins, DeShawn is 12 and living a large city housing project with his grandmother and older sister–his mother was killed earlier in the crossfire of neighborhood  gang warfare.  Even at 12, DeShawn has seen much evidence of gang violence and knows many friends and relatives who are now dead or in jail because of gang activities.  He’s smart enough to know that he wants and needs to stay away from gangs, and a couple of his teachers try to help him get enrolled in a special school that would improve his hopes for the future.  Unfortunately, life for him, his family and friends depends so much on the activities of the rival gangs in his neighborhood that trying to escape it is nearly impossible.

The book is divided into sections based on DeShawn’s age until he reaches 18, and his life becomes more and more complex and challenging.  I had to keep reading to see what would happen to DeShawn, all while feeling the hopelessness of his living situation, which was the author’s purpose in writing this book.  I think students who enjoy reading our “street lit” books will like this one, even though the dialogue and language didn’t seem very authentic–”school-safe” maybe but not authentic.

The author says we as a country need to do something soon about the problems of inner-city youth and families, and gives information and data to support his message. It’s a hard topic to read about and harder still to experience.

Mitch is 12 and spending the summer with his mother at his grandparents’ house at Bird Lake.  His parents have separated and he’s trying to adjust to life without his father and an uncertain future.  Spencer is 10 and comes to spend the summer with his parents, younger sister, and dog, Jasper, in a home next door to Mitch on Bird Lake.  It’s the first time his family has been there since his older brother drowned in that lake when Mitch was two.

Chapter alternate between Mitch and Spencer telling the story each from their perspective.  Tensions between Mitch’s mother and grandparents cause him to want to live next door with his mother, but when Spencer’s family move in, he comes up with ways to scare them into leaving.  Then we read about Spencer’s reactions to those tactics.

There’s no big dramatic action here but we can really get into the boys’ heads to experience the pain and confusion they are both feeling.  Read Olive’s Ocean for more by this author.

Panem is the name of the country that has replaced the United States and North America due to the devastating effects of war, famine, drought and fire.  It is divided into 12 districts and the Capitol.  Every year two young people, male and female, between 12 and 18 are chosen by a lottery to go to the Capitol to compete in the Hunger Games–a fight-to-the-death competition that all of Panem is forced to watch using Survivor-style camera work.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss, accustomed to using her hunting and gathering skills to get food for her fatherless family, volunteers to take her younger sister’s place as the female member of her district’s team.  She joins Peeta, the son of the baker with NO obvious survival skills, to go to the Capitol and prepare for the ceremonies leading up the the actual competition of the  Hunger Games.

Books like this don’t give us a very pretty picture of what the future might bring.  The word used to describe these miserable conditions of life is dystopia–the opposite of utopia or an ideal, perfect community.  It’s disturbing to think what would ever make it okay for adults to allow young people to be treated like that.  It’s also disturbing to see how some of our reality TV shows now could approach what happens in the Hunger Games.

A lot of suspense, even a little romance!  And LOTS of build-up for what will be Book 2 of the trilogy.