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Reviews: Book Review
Structured as a series of journal entries, memos, letters and dialogues, this highly original novel emerges as a witty satire of high school politics, revealing how truth can easily become distorted. After Philip Malloy, a clownish, rather unmotivated freshman, is punished for causing a disturbance (humming ``The Star Spangled Banner''), facts about the incident become exaggerated until a minor school infraction turns into a national scandal. Philip's parents, several reporters and a neighbor (who happens to be running for the school board) accuse the school of being unpatriotic. Philip gains fame as a martyr for freedom; his homeroom teacher, Miss Narwin, however, faces dismissal from her job. After gleaning the points of view of many characters, readers will side with Miss Narwin and will recognize the hollowness of Philip's eventual victory. It is clear that Avi ( The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle ) is attuned to the modern high school scene. With frankness and remarkable insight, he conveys the flaws of the system while creating a story that is both entertaining and profound. Ages 11-up. Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Review
Gr 6-9-- Ninth grader Philip Malloy finds himself unable to participate on the track team because of his failing grade in English. Convinced the teacher, Margaret Narwin, dislikes him, he concocts a scheme to get transferred from her homeroom: instead of standing ``at respectful, silent attention'' during the national anthem, Philip hums. Throughout the ensuing disciplinary problems at school, his parents take his side, ignore the fact that he is breaking a school rule, and concentrate on issues of patriotism. The conflict between Philip and his school escalates, and he quickly finds the situation out of his control; local community leaders, as well as the national news media, become involved. At this point, the novel surges forward to a heartbreaking, but totally believable, conclusion. Avi carefully sets forth the events in the story, advancing the plot through conversations between students, Philip's parents, school personnel, and community politicians, while Philip's point of view is revealed through his diary entries, and Margaret Narwin's through letters to her sister. Also enriching the narrative are copies of school memos and newspaper articles, transcripts of speeches delivered, and copies of letters received by both Philip and his teacher; each document provides another perspective on the conflict and illuminates the many themes that beg to be discussed--most notably the irony of lives destroyed because of the misuse of power and the failure of people to communicate. Admirably well crafted and thought provoking. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CT Copyright 1991 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review From Booklist, Oct. 1991, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
/*STARRED REVIEW*/ Gr. 7-12. Every word counts in Avi's newest book, which plunges readers into a series of skillfully orchestrated incidents that fuse into tense drama. Like a theatrical performance in its economy of description and phrase, the novel combines diary entries, phone conversations, discussions, and high school faculty memos into a provocative exploration of the way emotions and preconceptions define and distort truth. Philip Malloy desperately wants to be on the track team, but his low grade in English class prevents him from even trying out. He blames his teacher, Miss Narwin, and when she reprimands him for humming the national anthem during homeroom (school rules dictate "respectful, silent attention"), he defies her. Eventually he's sent to the assistant principal, who, unable to convince Philip to alter his behavior, invokes a suspension. A simple rules infraction neatly resolved? Not quite. After a newspaper reporter prints a biased, inflammatory version of the story, Phil's expulsion takes on patriotic overtones and becomes a local political hot potato that causes major problems for everyone concerned. Irony infuses the cleverly structured plot: Phil couldn't care less that he's headline news--he just wants a different English teacher; Miss Narwin's request for a stipend to further her education becomes "proof" she can't do the job instead of "proof" she's a good teacher trying to become better. And there's much, much more. The implications of what occurs are as intriguing as the novel's cynicism. Patriotism, is, of course, not Avi's real concern. He's writing about self-expression in a larger sense, and he's sharply critical of human behavior with regard to it. None of his characters triumphs. All share blame for what happens, and no one escapes consequences--not the perfidious school superintendent concerned about an upcoming budget vote; not self-absorbed Phil; not even Miss Narwin, who learns the hardest lesson of all. Avi levels the harshest denunciation, though, on the media, suggesting purposeful irresponsibility on their part. Pessimistic and somber, the book fascinates as much as it disturbs. It challenges us to reexamine our ethical standards and to set aside kindergarten concepts of truth and falsity in determining the conduct of our lives. Is the principal being honest when she describes Phil's vocalizing as "loud and raucous"? The answer, according to Avi, is not a simple yes or no. There's no question that the book sets out to make a point. It succeeds. That makes it ideal material for the whole-language curriculum, bound to foster debate on a wide range of issues--from parent-child communication to media accountability to personal values. But the deceptively simple story also stands up as riveting entertainment, and like the best in YA literature, it will be talked about and read again and again. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1991)¾Stephanie Zvirin.
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