A Knife for Tomaso

A young boy is labeled clumsy and stupid until a pair of glasses changes his life. A young healer, mute from birth, meets a magical stranger who talks to her without spoken words. Disassembling an old barn reveals the secret behind a decades-old legend about hidden gold. These tales are part of a collection of short stories by writers who have won the Newbery Medal, given by the American Library Association to the author of the best children's book published during the previous year. Part of the Newbery Authors Collection, this volume contains works by Lois Lenski, Robin McKinley, Nancy Willard, Walter D. Edmonds and Charles J. Finger. The collection is an interesting mix-ranging from down-to-earth plots with which the young reader can identify to fantasy tales that send the imagination soaring. The art of the short story is one young readers should be encouraged to appreciate; this book and others in the series, should help that encouragement along. Classroom and home libraries would do well to have this on their shelves. A short explanation about the Newbery, lists of past winners, plus biographical sketches of the five authors in this book are welcome inclusions. The American Library Association receives a portion of the sale of each book in "The Newbery Authors" series. 2001, Gareth Stevens, $22.60. Ages 10 to 15. Reviewer: Judy Crowder AGES: 10 11 12 13 14 15


Genre: Children's Fiction