BOOKS: Cormier - Tunes for bears to dance to

[Fred Muller Newton <fmuller@SATURN.PLANET.NET>]

I just about decided not to get any more Cormier for my library until I
read this one!  The story grabs you in the throat and won't let go for a
long time.  A young boy befriends a man from the "nut house" next store.
He finds out he is a holocaust survivor and is carving an intricate copy
of the town, people and family who were destroyed during the war.  The boy
works for a opinionated man who essentially blackmails the boy to destroy
this work of love.
   It is a quick read (101 p) yet is interwoven with many topics for
discussion, mental illness, death of a sibling, child abuse, the
holocaust. An unforgetable story.
   The title is based on an introductory quote and has nothing to do with
the story.  If you haven't read this one, don't miss it!


Frederick Muller,      Halsted Middle School Library
Librarian              59 Halsted Street               voice (201) 383-7554
fmuller@planet.net     Newton, NJ  07860                 FAX (201) 383-7432