BOOK: Trolls by Horvath

[Frederick Muller <fmuller@TELLURIAN.NET>]

I am posting this because the person sending it could not and I felt
I should do so.

------------------------

Mr. Muller sees little plot beyond the "cute" stories, but I would
argue
that the book is a powerful story about sibling bullying and the
lifelong
ramifications of sibling dynamics during childhood.  Aunt Sally tells
the
children amusing (tall-tale) stories of her childhood and the family in
which she and their father grew up (a family the three children have
never
heard anything about); and the dark story of "the trolls" which she
tells
to
just the two older girls gradually reveals just WHY the children have
never
heard of her -- because of an incident one Halloween involving her
and
their
father.  A similar potential for long-term damage due to sibling
power-politics is present amongst the three children listening to
Aunt
Sally's stories and she subtly works to counteract that danger in
this
generation.  The last line of the book -- "How did she know?" -- is
the
illuminating key which makes it clear that Aunt Sally succeeds in a
small
but significant way.

I used this book with 5th graders in an afternoon reading club last
year
and
almost all of them came in puzzled by the ending, but when I
encouraged
them
to work out its meaning, they were pleased to uncover the extra
layer of
meaning throughout the whole book and it led to a long discussion
of
sibling
relationships.  Moral of the story? -- children may need help in
focusing
beyond the fun in *The Trolls*, but once they do, they'll appreciate
its
deeper implications.

Note: *The Trolls* was both a National Book Award Finalist and a
Boston
Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book.


Katie Day
Elementary/Middle School Reading Clubs Co-ordinator
Ho Chi Minh International School
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
kbday@hcm.vnn.vn


-----------
Frederick Muller
Halsted Middle School Library
59 Halsted Street
Newton, NJ   07860
   voice (973) 383-7440  ext.229
   Fax (973) 383-7432
My Book reviews are compiled at:
   http://www.halsted.org/br.htm

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