Me in the Middle (AMERICAS AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE COMMENDED (AWARDS)) - Hardcover

Grade 4-6-Bel, not yet 13, is entranced by a photo of her great-grandmother as a girl, whom she resembles. She carries the picture close to her heart and experiences Bisa Bea as living inside her, telling about life at the turn of the 20th century in Brazil. Trouble starts when the woman begins to offer her opinion about how girls should act-they should dress well and be quiet and coy around boys. When great-grandmother actually manipulates a situation to test the chivalry of Bel's boyfriend, the girl loses patience. Now the voice of her future great-granddaughter begins to advise her as well, but Bel decides to control her own life. The final chapter features a new character, a classmate recently returned to Brazil from political exile with his family in various countries. He tells stories his grandfather told about the days when slavery was accepted in the country. The writing is mainly light and breezy, and is interspersed with black-and-white illustrations. The ideas of recognizing the past, caring about the future, and being yourself in the present are skillfully integrated into a familiar picture of a present-day child's home and school life. The ending is a bit preachy and forced, but balanced out by Bel's spunkiness and the light humor throughout.
Jean Gaffney, Dayton and Montgomery County Public Library, Miamisburg, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ana Maria Machado, winner of the 2000 Hans Christian Andersen Award, tells of a 10-year-old girl who becomes possessed by competing voices after finding a photo of her great-grandmother in Me in the Middle, trans. by David Unger, illus. in b&w by Caroline Merola. The first voice belongs to her Bisa Bea, who tells Bel stories of long ago but also tries to correct her behavior; the second helps Bel find her strength. First published in Brazil in 1982.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.