The Canadian young adult novel "The Maestro" by Tim Wynne-Jones foregrounds the relationship between imagination and subjective agency. While Burl uses his imagination at the beginning to protect himself from his abusive father, his fantasies become dress rehearsals for small performances that allow him to try on new identities and exercise…

This article analyzes the 2002 Coretta Scott King Award book by Mildred Taylor entitled "The Land". The novel and its author are situated within a tradition of historical fiction written by and about African Americans. I then offer an analysis that utilizes Critical Race Theory as an interpretive tool for examining the ways Taylor embeds meanings…

Jenny Robson's "Savannah 2216 AD", a dark, futuristic novel for young adults, provides a strong critique on much of the world's predilection for saving Africa's animals at the expense of those human communities who are perceived to be in the way of the preservation of the continent's remaining wild spaces. Using Robson's novel as…

Details the successes of Ernest Raymond's novel "Tell England." Includes reviews of the book and details of the author's life. Discusses the reason's for the enormous success of the book, Raymond's treatment of the relationship between the young men, and his treatment of their deaths. (PRA)

Beidler defends "The Crown of Columbus" against criticisms of its best-seller qualities and applauds its universality, playfulness, and thought-provoking qualities. Hoy views the novel as revisionist history contained within a seemingly frivolous narrative, a polyvocal protean voyage of discovery with humor and self-referentiality as its…

Reviews four young-adult novels written by Chris Crutcher, whose characters provide an honest depiction of life. (PRA)

This bibliographic essay on notable Australian children's and adolescent literature describes and briefly critiques 16 titles that were published in 1992. (EA)

Critiques five novels by James Salter--THE HUNTERS, THE ARM OF FLESH, A SPORT AND A PASTIME, LIGHT YEARS, and SOLO FACES. Notes that Salter's works have been ignored by literary critics and the public though praised by other authors. (MM)

To look at Maxine Hong Kingston's novel "China Men" for its mythic aspects is to overlook the fact that it is a novel about work and class. It condemns a patriarchal capitalist world that exploits both male and female workers and dissects the gender and race issues uncovered by such exploitation. (SLD)

Summarizes Riki Levinson's "Watch the Stars Come Out," and Ted Conover's "Coyotes," two novels which capture recent American immigrant experiences. (RS)

Examines the novels of Cynthia Voigt in terms of the recurring theme that the sacrifice of one's self or one's interest, usually for the supposed advantage of others, can in the long run do more harm than good. A bibliography of Voigt's novels is provided. (two references) (CLB)

Advocates inclusion of Marianne Wiggins' novel "John Dollar" in high school reading lists and literature classes. Notes that the novel is an allegory rich in poetic suggestion, metaphorical language, and symbolic meaning. (RS)

Reviews Dover Publications' new series of literary classics published as inexpensive paperback editions. Finds the books able to withstand physical abuse. Recommends selecting the volumes that comfortably fit the curriculum and enlarge the choices within the department. (RS)

Reviews Toni Morrison's novel "Sula" as a celebration of the working-class African American. The characters of this novel provide an understanding of the social, psychological, and sociological issues that might otherwise have been evident only to African Americans. (SLD)

In John Ehle's "The Winter People," the goddess Persephone is with Hades, and winter is upon the Appalachians in full force. Ehle's novel begins as Wayland Jackson and his daughter, Paula, arrive at the home of Collie Wright and her baby, Jonathan. The Jacksons' truck has broken down on their way from Pennsylvania to Tennessee following…