Frost, H. (2006). The Braid. (p. 92). Frances Foster Books.
ISBN: 0374309620
Classification: book, fiction
Genre: historical fiction
Age Level: 9th -12th grade
Subjects: celtic, historical fiction, immigration, love story, novel in verse, siblings
Reader's Annotation: Two sisters are separated by the Atlantic Ocean when some of the family immigrates to from Scotland to Canada.
Summary: A family is separated as some immigrate from Scotland to Cape Breton and some remain behind. Sarah, the eldest child, decides to stay with her Grandmother in their homeland. She falls in love with Murdo, but they are also separated. Jeannie, her mother, and the baby of the family survive the sea voyage and must create a new life in a strange land. Jeannie tries her best to follow the example Sarah has always set for her. Their stories are told through alternating verses, interspersed with what the author describes as "praise verses." The words themselves fit together in a braid, or a knot, modeled after Celtic knot patterns.
Reviews / Awards:
Starred review in both School Library Journal and Booklist.
Helen Frost's Website
Potential Hotspots:
starvation, teenage pregnancy
Readalikes:
- Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale by Donna Jo Napoli
- Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
The unique structure of this novel in verse combined with the historical information make this a great book to offer to teens who might need convincing they'd enjoy verse or historical fiction.
Other:
The amazing structure of this novel wasn't clear to me until I read the author's note at the end. It's truly a puzzle made out of words, mindboggling, when I considered it in retrospect.
Evaluation:
5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment