Just finished reading Masterpiece by Elise Broach, and am ready to inflict my harsh judgement of it on the world:

After finishing, I went back and re-read the reviews that have been published about this book, and I can’t be as enthusiastic as most “official” reviewers have been.  While it’s a charming and engaging story, with a fair amount of suspense, it also feels to me like a story written with a wink and a nod to adults.  If I were cynical, I might think that this adult appeal were intentionally included – but I’m not cynical.  I do think that Broach wrote the story that she wanted to write, and that she wasn’t trying to draw in legions of adult fans.  But the weaknesses are there, as evidenced in the following quotes:

“When you saw different parts of the world, you saw different parts of yourself.  And when you stayed home, where it was safe, those parts of yourself also stayed hidden.” (page 268)  A prime example of telling and not showing; while there are worthy thoughts in these two sentences, they slam you over the head with their meaning.  I would have been happier if Marvin had had his adventures and shown his emotional maturation in subtler ways.  Readers aren’t stupid; they would have gotten the point that Marvin’s adventures expanded his horizons and helped him grow as a person – um, beetle, that is.

“Fortunately, Uncle Albert [a beetle] was able to maneuver his way through the vents at the back of the oven and reconnect a loose wire.  This fixed the problem, though not before the Pompadays had a heated exchange about unreliable foreign appliances, Mr. Pompaday’s lack of handiness, and the fact that if Mrs. Pompaday were a real cook, she wouldn’t be using a microwave anyway.” (page 172)  ~ This section clearly aims to amuse the adult reader – the reader who’s been married, been disappointed in his or her spouse’s shortcomings, and felt cheated by an expensive appliance that hasn’t measured up to quality standards.

There are many more specific passages like these two that feel intended for an adult audience, and then there are also the larger themes of the book.  The friendship between James the human and Marvin the beetle feels weak and underdeveloped; there are kernels of a friendship there, but I didn’t see enough connection between the two characters to create the level of bond that they are supposed to share.  But this friendship, selfless on the part of Marvin and very productive for James (he gains his mother’s love, the friendship of his classmates, and fame for catching the thief), carries with it grand lessons about being a good friend and valuing your friendship and your friend’s happiness above personal gain and recognition.  I found these grand lessons too heavy-handed and pedantic, and would have preferred a lighter, subtler touch.

I did enjoy the story, and will use the book for the 5th grade book group, since it should provoke a decent discussion.  But I don’t think it’s a “masterpiece,” and I certainly wouldn’t nominate it for the Newbery (I saw it on a layman’s list of potential Newbery nominees).  On a scale of 1 to 10, I give Masterpiece a 5.

With no book groups for a couple of weeks, I’ve been doing some reading just for the sake of reading – here are the books that I’m working on:

The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau.  While I didn’t enjoy this as much as The City of Ember, I still liked it, and have requested the other two books in the series from the library.  It’s not often that I get the urge to read an entire series of books; usually I get bored with series books, especially science fiction series, so it’s a compliment to DuPrau that I’m continuing with this one.

(At this point, Max jumped into my lap, and is now providing a dusty impediment to my typing – clearly we need to vacuum, he’s so dusty – but he’s too cute to evict, so I’ll soldier on…)

Masterpiece by Elise Broach.  I’m enjoying this one so far, and think that I’ll use it as the February choice for my 5th grade book group, provided I can locate a copy of it on CD for the book group member who prefers books on CD.  It’s a bit cute, but also a bit innovative, and I’m hoping that the plot will progress in a way that stresses innovation over cuteness.

Chasing Vermeer and The Calder Game by Blue Balliett.  I’ve been meaning to read these for a while now, and found pristine copies of each at the used book store yesterday, so now I have no excuses.  (And, truthfully, I’m a little ashamed that I’ve never read these two books…they are contemporary classics, and I should know them…)

I Put a Spell on You by Adam Selzer.   Another possible book group choice, though I don’t know enough about this book to say for sure yet.  I think I’ve mostly been drawn in by the Scrabble letters on the cover, since Jim and I do like to play Scrabble.

There are more, of course: several books in the bookcase in the foyer that I’ve bought over the last few months and keep meaning to read.  There never seems to be enough time to get to them all, though a cold rainy day like today certainly helps.

(And one endnote: yes, Max is still living with us.  My asthma calmed down significantly, Ophy and Pippa seem to have adjusted to him, and we just plain love the little bugger too much to give him up.)