Young readers sampling recent children’s fiction

Press, 20 December 1986, Page 23

Young readers sampling recent children’s fiction

(Reviewed by

Mhairi Erber)

From a recent batch of new children’s fiction, my 11-year-old assistants, Isla and Miriam, showed a preference for imports over indigenous literature, and classic over contemporary fiction. They both wanted to review “The Secret Garden,” but it had been done already. Miriam tackled “My Summer of the Lions” (see later), but soon abandoned it for the more familiar territory of American children’s literature; Isla persevered with "Mr Chip in Paradise,” by Marie Stuttard (Hodder and Stoughton; $16.45). This is sci-fi for 7-11 year olds. Youngsters will read it simply as the further adventures of Sue, Matthew, and Timmy with their friends, the computers Mr Chip and Al, in space. There is a predictable conflict between good and evil and the most interesting character is the capricious 0... o ... o ... Qua, an apprentice deity (called a space creature) whose role and status in the universe may give adults cause to pause and reflect. Otherwise, apart from the futuristic setting, there is nothing of particular subtlety or originality. However, Isla says it is “fast-moving and humorous.” For most New Zealand children, an island in the English channel with the ruins of 14 castles on it is just as remote as outer space, except that this is Famous Five country. The uncomplicated summer holiday adventures of Billy and Petal, and the dogs Ben and Boddie, recounted by Elisabeth Beresford in “The Mysterious Island” (Hodder and Stoughton; $4.95) might well be a way of weaning Enid Blyton addicts on to more true-to-life and acceptable

literature, but Miriam feels the book will be a disappointment to those who enjoy “real mysteries.”

Her recent favourite is “The Computer Nut” by Betsy Byars (Puffin; $5.49). She considers it one of the author’s best, but as she is not particularly au fait with computers or science fiction, I attribute her enthusiasm to the skill with which Byars handles domestic details and the relationships between the youngsters and their families.

The Americans are particularly good at this sort of novel and often produce books intended to cope with a specific problem area — “Superfudge” and “Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret,” both by Judy Blume, spring to mind as being in this category — so I intend no criticism when I say that William Taylor’s New Zealand novels, “My Summer of the Lions” (Reed Methuen; $7.95) and "Shooting Through” (Reed Methuen; $9.95) are purpose-written. Both are technically very skillful. “My Summer of the Lions” may start quietly, but there is a dramatic climax which youngsters will find exciting, though it seems a little unfortunate — surely Martin’s father could have been brought to a realisation of the boy’s problems without resort to quite such drastic action. Martin really goes off the rails at the end and it would be a mistake to expect all families to be as supportive as his are, but this is the sort of discussion to which the book lends itself.

William Taylor’s more recent novel for young teen-agers is “Shooting Through.” Taylor is plugging a very real gap, but his appeal must be

restricted as long as his subjects are 13 and 14-year-old boys of limited academic ability and some propensity for petty crime. August and Jon-Mark are not really bad boys. They are from very different backgrounds — Jon-Mark’s parents are wealthy, but he has psychological problems and learning difficulties. August’s mother is “on welfare” and he ekes out the family budget by minor shoplifting till a neighbour’s spying provokes an uncharacteristic act of violence.

The boys run away together from remand home and are befriended by the Boss (who turns out to be a bit of a crook himself) and two Maori women, Pinkie and her Nanny. The setting is somewhere in the centre of the North Island. The philosophy is the healing power of land and folk and something within the young people themselves.

It is not so very different in this respect from “The Secret Garden,” but there are certainly sections of the New Zealand reading public to which this will be a great deal more relevant. It seems likely to find a niche in the secondary school English curriculum — there is scope for discussion on issues raised and its greatest usefulness will be with what used to be called the “low streams.”

“The Keeper” by Barry Faville (Oxford; $16.95) is somewhat more sophisticated in its appeal and raises questions of more general, if not quite such immediate interest. The author is an English teacher at Taupo-nui-a-Tia College and the novel is set in the area with which he and his pupils are familiar.

The time however is the post-

nuclear future. Recently both Isla and Miriam read “Children of the Dust” by Louise Lawrence, a book quite devastating in its frankness on the likely effects of nuclear war in the northern hemisphere. Neither found “The Keeper” as riveting, but Faville need feel no mortification as Lawrence’s is a book of quite exceptional insight and power.

The general tenor of “The Keeper” is mercifully optimistic — it suggests the survival of some of the more agreeable aspects of our culture (interestingly, it seems to be almost exclusively European culture), but is not quite as uplifting in its conclusion as “Children of the Dust.”

I read recently (I wish I had said it myself, but it was Anthony Juckes in an article on Frances Hodgson Burnett) that there are “really only three kinds of children’s books ...

there are those adults think children will like, and consequently buy for them; and those that children actually choose and buy for themselves. There is little or no overlap between these two categories. But there are also books which appeal on an intuitive level to children and adults alike.”

“The Secret Garden,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett, is pre-eminently such a classic and now it is available in paperback (Armada; $6.95). One can be safe with such a book (though its appeal is to girls rather than boys — I regret the sexism, but children’s reading habits do not respect trends in adult thinking). Be more cautious when it comes to some of the other books reviewed. Competently written and thought-provoking though they are, some might not rouse great enthusiasm in a young recipient this Christmas.