Paintings from the Cave

Gr 5–8—Gary Paulsen opens these three novellas (Wendy Lamb Books, 2011) with a short piece about his own difficult childhood and how dogs, art, and reading helped him survive. "Man of the Iron Heads" tells the tragic story of Jake, who knows that unless he always keeps moving, he'll be caught by the local drug dealer or his violent, uncaring aunt. He does his best to care for a pregnant friend who is only 14, but finds that in his reality, there's no place for hope, only revenge. "Jojo the Dog-Faced Girl" has a horrible home life made bearable only by adopting a number of stray dogs that lead to her first real friendship. In the third novella, Jamie and his big brother ran away from a drunken mother and her boyfriend who, it is inferred, abused the boy. A volunteer at a dog shelter recognizes Jamie's artistic talent and eventually provides the boys with affordable housing and a great deal of hope. These stories are linked by the artistic endeavors of their main characters and the fact that they all don't feel self pity. Like Paulsen, they do their best under terrible circumstances, become survivors, and eventually thrive. Sarah Grace, Nick Podehl, and Jim Bond are superb narrators, lifting the excellent writing to even greater heights. A must-have.—B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, Santa Barbara, CA