Parade of Shadows

October 15, 2007
Once again, National Book Award winner Whelan (Homeless Bird
) whisks readers to another time and place to experience history in the making. In 1907, Julia, a sheltered British 16-year-old, accompanies her father to the Middle East. Julia’s father often travels abroad “to get or trade or give away bits of land and sometimes whole countries” for England’s Foreign Office, and he views the trip as drudgery, but Julia considers it an adventure. The heroine gets far more excitement than she has bargained for when she and other members of her tour group—all of whom have hidden agendas and differing political views—are placed in a variety of dangerous situations. Besides exploring magnificent landmarks and cultures in Istanbul, Damascus, Palmyra and the deserts in between, Julia learns to see thorny political problems, the corruption of officials and the questionable motives of her fellow travelers. The author wisely refrains from passing judgment on various factions represented by characters. Instead, she remains focused on Julia’s widening perspective and her struggles to determine whether her loyalties lie more with her conservative father or with a radical Young Turk. Rather than providing pat answers, this meticulously researched novel, denser than some of the author’s previous works, raises questions about conflict resolution, rebellion and oppression. Ages 10-up.

October 1, 2007
Gr 7 Up-The sheltered daughter of a British diplomat, 16-year-old Julia Hamilton leaps at the opportunity to travel to the Near East with her father on a mysterious mission. But her journey through a Syria simmering under Turkish rule in 1907 brings her much more than she had expected: a nearly disastrous flirtation and a brush with real danger that opens her eyes to politics, the motives of her traveling companions, and her own need for freedom. This satisfying read is a romantic adventure in the best tradition by a master of such stories. Julia is a believable product of her time. The tangle of supporting characters includes attentive, idealistic Graham, down from Oxford to encourage Druze support in the Young Turk's revolution; Edith, a middle-aged botanist gone native; and Monsieur Louvois, a Frenchman with an extraordinary interest in antiquities. Julia is even suspicious of her father's motives. All is, of course, resolved in a way that is both expected and surprising, and readers, who have come to appreciate the perils of attempting to shape events in another culture, are left to hope that Julia's further travels will be equally instructive."Kathleen Isaacs, Towson University, MD"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2007
Whelan is known for atmospheric, international scene setting; here, she fixes her gaze on the Middle East circa 1907, where foreigners jockeying to influence the future of the Ottoman Empire resonates strongly with current events. Paralleling the clamor for self-rule within the shaky empire, first-person narrator Julia, the 16-year-old daughter of an English diplomat, stretches toward greater independence as she joins her overbearing father on a Syrian desert tour. Focusing strongly on the opinionated political exchanges among the tour groups members, Whelan evokes Europeans often-paternalistic, turn-of-the-century perspectives in a manner that calls forth the novels of E. M. Forster. The identity of a traitor is too transparent, andsome readers will feel frustrated by Julias bystander role and difficult-to-fathom affection for a hectoring young revolutionary. Many teens, however, will be ensnared by the travelogue details, from an Orient Express train ride to a camel caravan from Damascus to Alexandretta, and they will enjoyJulias eye-opening moments of romanticism colliding with reality as her experiences illuminate the regions convulsive history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)