Memorial - Softcover

Queensland author Gary Crew has an outstanding reputation as a writer of young adult fiction and innovative picture books. His numerous prizes and awards include CBC Book of the Year: Older Readers for Strange Objects and Angel's Gate (1991 and 1994); CBC Picture Book of the Year shortlisting for Lucy's Bay (1993); CBC Picture Book of the Year for First Light (1994) and CBC Picture Book of the Year for The Watertower (1995). Gary was editor of the After Dark series and author of the picture books First Light, The Lost Diamonds of Killiecrankie, Bright Star, The Viewer, Troy Thompson's Excellent Peotry Book, Troy Thompson's Radical Prose Folio, Memorial and Leo the Lion Tamer. His previous Lothian YA Fiction titles are Mama's Babies and Dear Venny, Dear Saffron. ILLUSTRATORBIO: Shaun Tan has an outstanding reputation for his illustrative work. He won the Crichton Award for Book Illustration (The Viewer) in 1995. His collaborative effort with John Marsden, The Rabbits was named CBC Picture Book of the Year in 1999. Memorial was his third picture book. He has been a leading science-fiction illustrator in Australia for several years; with recognition including the Illustrators of the Future Award (1991) and the Australian National Science Fiction Best Artist Award (1995, 1996). He contributes regular political cartoons to the Western Review and is the art editor and a regular contributor to Eidelon magazine.

Grade 5-8–A conversation among an unnamed boy, his great-grandfather, grandparents, and parents reveals a sense of community and remembrance that grew up around a statue and fig tree planted when Australian soldiers returned from the First World War. Each man in the family participated in a different war and shares memories of returning home afterward. The protagonist's inquisitiveness turns to idealistic outrage when local officials propose removing the tree since its roots are lifting the pavement ("bitumen" in Australia), causing a traffic hazard. The boy believes that the tree is as much a memorial as the statue, and that it houses animals and plants that are valuable to the town. An aura of sadness and pessimism pervades the story: the boy's great-grandfather says, "They'll beat you, son. The big boys will beat you every time. They'll chop you to bits...." The town council does take down the tree, but the youngster is consoled by reflecting on his great-grandfather's opinion that it is people's fighting spirit that is remembered in the end. Detailed, engrossing, multimedia collages draw in readers and hint at hard war times, warm family times, and stages in the life of the tree and in the community. It's undeniably a powerful package, but one that will have a hard time finding its audience; middle-school art and social-studies teachers may be the key to its success.–Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
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