Horvath, P. (1999). The trolls. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Summary:
Right before Mr. and Mrs. Anderson leave for Paris, their babysitter cancels on them. Unable to find a replacement, Mr. Robbie Anderson is forced to call his sister, Sally, and ask her to drive from Vancouver Island, B.C. to their home in Ohio to watch their children for a week. While there, Aunt Sally tells her brother’s children all about her family history including her uncle who came for two weeks but stayed six years, and their Aunt Marianne who was the “Fat Little Mean Girl.” Following the week’s end, the children learn more about their family history and father, through Aunt Sally’s capitaving tales.
Advisory Information:
Themes:
a. Family Relationships: Whether good or bad, Aunt Sally’s stories describe the family dynamics. Not all of the stories are happy, some are even sad; however, they allow the reader to realize that not every family is perfect. That deaths, estrangements, and even elements of neurosis are a part of every family.
b. Childhood growth: While this book is not necessarily a coming of age story, I do feel that it represents childhood growth, in that the children start to see their father as a person. Through Aunt Sally’s descriptions of her childhood, Melissa, Frank and Amanda are able to view their father as a young boy and compare that description to the father he is now.
c. Importance of Childhood: Throughout the novel, Aunt Sally reminds the reader what Mrs. Anderson had originally planned for the children. These events are structured and seem to be based upon her ideas of how her children should conduct themselves. While Aunt Sally does loosely follow these guidelines, most of the time she is allowing the children to be themselves.
d. In Aunt Sally’s stories, the Canadian landscape is just as important to the plot as the stories themselves. The forest, ocean, and climate are parts of the character of these anecdotes.
Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to 2nd to 6th graders. There is some evidence of death and sorrow in the book (an aunt who tells Sally about how cougars ate people she knew, etc.), but overall the story should be easy to read. The word choice is sometimes more difficult, however there is usually an explanation of the word, so intermediate readers should not have an issue with the language.
Other Information:
While this book takes place in Ohio, all of the stories take place in Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Awards include:
•National Book Award Finalist
•Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
•ALA Notable Book
•Riverbank Review Book of Distinction
•Booklist Editor's Choice
•Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
•Horn Book Fanfare
•A Rosie O'Donnell Pick and featured on her television show
Reaction:
I thought that this book was an excellent example of how this particular author views Canadian culture to that of American culture. The novel takes an unbiased approach looking at some of the themes prevalent in Canadian literature such as the landscape and the more realistic view of children making mistakes. She interestingly compares this view to that of American parenting and children. While Frank, Melissa and Amanda are not viewed negatively, they are just perceived differently especially when compared to Aunt Sally’s childhood. While I do not think that young readers will necessarily pick up on this commentary, I do think that they will thoroughly enjoy the stories.
Example of Illustrations:
Summary:
Right before Mr. and Mrs. Anderson leave for Paris, their babysitter cancels on them. Unable to find a replacement, Mr. Robbie Anderson is forced to call his sister, Sally, and ask her to drive from Vancouver Island, B.C. to their home in Ohio to watch their children for a week. While there, Aunt Sally tells her brother’s children all about her family history including her uncle who came for two weeks but stayed six years, and their Aunt Marianne who was the “Fat Little Mean Girl.” Following the week’s end, the children learn more about their family history and father, through Aunt Sally’s capitaving tales.
Advisory Information:
Themes:
a. Family Relationships: Whether good or bad, Aunt Sally’s stories describe the family dynamics. Not all of the stories are happy, some are even sad; however, they allow the reader to realize that not every family is perfect. That deaths, estrangements, and even elements of neurosis are a part of every family.
b. Childhood growth: While this book is not necessarily a coming of age story, I do feel that it represents childhood growth, in that the children start to see their father as a person. Through Aunt Sally’s descriptions of her childhood, Melissa, Frank and Amanda are able to view their father as a young boy and compare that description to the father he is now.
c. Importance of Childhood: Throughout the novel, Aunt Sally reminds the reader what Mrs. Anderson had originally planned for the children. These events are structured and seem to be based upon her ideas of how her children should conduct themselves. While Aunt Sally does loosely follow these guidelines, most of the time she is allowing the children to be themselves.
d. In Aunt Sally’s stories, the Canadian landscape is just as important to the plot as the stories themselves. The forest, ocean, and climate are parts of the character of these anecdotes.
Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to 2nd to 6th graders. There is some evidence of death and sorrow in the book (an aunt who tells Sally about how cougars ate people she knew, etc.), but overall the story should be easy to read. The word choice is sometimes more difficult, however there is usually an explanation of the word, so intermediate readers should not have an issue with the language.
Other Information:
While this book takes place in Ohio, all of the stories take place in Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Awards include:
•National Book Award Finalist
•Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
•ALA Notable Book
•Riverbank Review Book of Distinction
•Booklist Editor's Choice
•Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
•Horn Book Fanfare
•A Rosie O'Donnell Pick and featured on her television show
Reaction:
I thought that this book was an excellent example of how this particular author views Canadian culture to that of American culture. The novel takes an unbiased approach looking at some of the themes prevalent in Canadian literature such as the landscape and the more realistic view of children making mistakes. She interestingly compares this view to that of American parenting and children. While Frank, Melissa and Amanda are not viewed negatively, they are just perceived differently especially when compared to Aunt Sally’s childhood. While I do not think that young readers will necessarily pick up on this commentary, I do think that they will thoroughly enjoy the stories.
Example of Illustrations:
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