Olga y los traidores

January 1, 1996
Gr 2-5-As her eighth birthday approaches, Olga is torn: Should she continue to listen to the advice and instruction of those who are older and presumably wiser, or should she, like her 12-year-old sister Esther, dare to be different, smart-alecky, even offensive? She lists some characteristics of her past sleeping, obeying, not laughing as well as those she plans for her future speaking the whole truth, having no fear of her elders, "-la vidai" (lifei). But the next day at school her resolve is severely tested by an incident with a substitute teacher that pits Olga against her classmates in an unruly argument. Much more difficult and longer than an American beginning reader, the book features multisyllabic words and complex sentence structures more appropriate to a read-aloud than a book most children will read for themselves. The illustrations are humorous with exaggerated b&w line drawings, but librarians and bookstore clerks will need to get prospective patrons to focus on the clever tale and on Brisac's insightful characterization in order to overcome a fairly drab presentation. Coop Renner, Paul C. Moreno Elementary, El Paso, TX