Skip to main content

Mister Orange

Image
By Lauren

Mister Orange
By Truus Matti (Translated from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson)
156 pages. Historical fiction.

Linus is a young boy living in New York City during World War II. When his older brother, Albie, gets shipped off to fight in Europe, Linus must fill in as delivery boy for the family's grocery store. One of the customers on his route is an interesting artist (the painter Piet Mondrian) who paints vivid, graphic artwork using "the colors of the future." He tells Linus to call him "Mr. Orange" because of his ordering oranges by the crate from the store. The two strike up a friendship and have meaningful dialogue about the war, art, and imagination. The war somewhat touches his life, but Linus sees soldiers as the superheroes in his beloved comic books- brave, but also removed from his everyday life. This novel is an exceptionally written, unique work of historical fiction. It is thoughtful, but not bleak, and is appropriate for most readers. There are many resources in the afterword for books, videos, and exhibits about Mondrian's work.

Labels:

Comments

lw said…
This looks really good. Thanks for the tip.
February 21, 2013 at 12:13 PM
Lauren said…
I enjoyed it! It sort of reminded me of Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself- Linus acts out scenarios in his imagination like Sally.
February 21, 2013 at 12:41 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

By
If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.
Post a Comment
Read more

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

By loo
Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more