Out of the Box

March 15, 2011

While visiting her mother's older sister, Jeanette, in Victoria, British Columbia, 13-year-old Ellie confronts the uncomfortable truth that her mother is emotionally abusive. Shy and awkward, Ellie is expected to mediate during her parents' constant fighting. To placate them, Ellie forgoes studying tango music and instead reluctantly learns classical violin. An unexpected reprieve comes when Ellie is allowed to stay in Vancouver for the whole summer with Aunt Jeanette, who is recovering from the death of her partner, Alison. While there, Jeanette gives Ellie some much-needed support to help her stand up to her emotionally dependent mother. An element of mystery is added when, in the process of cleaning out Jeanette's basement, Ellie finds a bandoneón, an Argentine accordion. Hidden inside the instrument's case is an envelope containing clues that will lead to uncovering the identity of its original owner. Still, the main focus of the story is Ellie's troubled relationship with her mother. Never heavy-handed, Ellie's frank narration explores her feelings of guilt, and her tale will appeal to middle-school readers. The author weaves in facts about the bandoneón, its use in tango music and its connection to the political unrest and attendant atrocities in Argentina between 1976 and 1983. It's an earnest effort, but the shifting between the two plots is awkward at times. Ultimately, it's entertaining enough but lacking in tension. (Fiction. 9-12)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2011

Gr 6-8-Ellie spends her time tiptoeing around her parents, making good grades, and keeping peace in the family. She is thrilled to spend the entire summer with her much-loved, free-spirited aunt in Victoria, Canada. Together they will clean out the basement filled with treasures amassed by Jeannette and her longtime partner. Allison has recently died and though Jeannette misses her, she continues to live a full life that she joyfully shares with her niece. While in Victoria, Ellie gains confidence, makes friends, learns to play tango music on an Argentinean instrument called the bandoneon, and ultimately solves a mystery that surrounds it. Even though she returns to Vancouver when her mother feels threatened by her older sister's relationship with Ellie, the 13-year-old has matured enough that readers are confident that she will be fine. Ellie's narration authentically conveys her gradual growth, the insecurities that surround her developing friendships, her role in a dysfunctional family, and the pleasure she takes in music. Adults and their relationships are portrayed credibly, especially those of Jeannette, Allison (even though she is only introduced through others), and several of Jeannette's adult friends. A bit of Argentine history rounds out the believable plot, adding a bit of mystery and tension beyond Ellie's immediate world.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2011
Grades 6-9 Ellie cant wait spend the summer in Victoria, British Columbia, where she will help her aunt Jeanette clear out 20 years of basement clutter. In the basement, Ellie finds a bandonen, an Argentine accordion. Hidden inside is a mysterious letter full of money. Ellie spends the summer learning to play the bandonen, searching for its original owner, helping Jeanette in a soup kitchen, making a friend, and accepting that her mother is mentally ill. She wonders what it would be like to live in Victoria year-round: Sunshine and music instead of silence and shouting. The novel addresses many topicsthe thousands who disappeared under Argentinas military dictatorship, tango music, homelessness, mental illnessand for the most part it holds together, though the soup kitchen subplot feels less essential to the story line. Ellies struggle to show her mother love while creating healthy boundaries resonates, as does the glimpse into a dark period of Argentine history.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)