Boat Song - Hardcover

Grade 4-7 An artistic prose style and some excellently developed characters support this tale of a father/son conflict and the growing friendship between a young boy and an older man in a coastal New England vacation town. Jonno, an 11-year-old boy who feels misunderstood and unaccepted by his father, looks forward to his summer on the beach for freedom, adventure, and a chance to think. Disappointment sets in when he discovers that Peter, his summer pal, has become preoccupied with girls and no longer shares Jonno's interests. Enter the mysterious, forlorn sound of bagpipe music which lures and enchants Jonno as he wanders along the beach and ultimately leads him to Rob Loud, a 60-year-old Scot. Rob becomes the understanding father-figure who accepts and even appreciates Jonno as a friend. Conflicts arise when Jonno's father disapproves of the developing friendship partly because Loud is basically unknown to him, but also because of jealousy. It seems likely that Rob's wisdom will be the catalyst to repair Jonno's relationship with his father. Jonno is a well-drawn character: an intelligent, sensitive youngster who is ready to absorb all that Rob has to teach about bagpipes, Robert Burns' poetry, or advice to be a risk-taker. A novel with a common theme, but one that is satisfying and far above average. Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, N.J.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This year, summer on Cape Cod at Grandma's cottage is fraught with problems for Jonno, 11. Silence is his only defense against an analytical, articulate father who questions and advises him endlessly. And his friend Peter is suddenly interested in Jonno's sister Kate. Then Jonno meets an old bagpiper, a sturdy Scot who was at the D-day invasion. Rob regales Jonno with stories of Highland fighting and of the pipers who performed while soldiers marched into battle. They become friends, and one day, when Jonno is lost in a boat offshore, the sound of Rob's pipes help him to find the beach through the fog. Through Rob, Jonno learns how to let go of his self-consciousness and be himself; on his own he discovers that his father's ways are loving ones. The unusual friendship is both tender and realistic; the characterizations are all well drawn. A graceful and enriching first book. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.