Black Fox of Lorne and A Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli

I work with young people and we are always trying to get them to set big goals--but develop small step by which to reach them. In that spirit, I searched for a task for myself--something big that I would need to pursue with diligence and determination. In looking for appropriate reading for these 16-24 year-olds, I came across a fusty old list of "great" children's literature. That became my quest--to read every one of the 500 or so books on the list, which ranged from The Pokey Little Puppy to Dickens' Bleak House. Here's a selection from my reviews of a couple of those books. (By the way, I only have about 150 books to go.)

Angeli, Marguerite de, Black Fox of Lorne

I got this book from interlibrary loan (thanks, Tammi) after I read A Door in the Wall. Black Fox of Lorne far surpasses A Door in the Wall in excitement and totally lacks the cloying sentimentality. Twin brothers, Jan and Brus, are shipwrecked on the shores of Scotland. Their family and friends are lost at sea, and their father is brutally killed by a local warlord. The twins’ family was attempting to emigrate from Norway. An enlivening subtheme in the book is the seeing of Scottish culture through Norwegian eyes, which explicates both. The boys separate, following instructions from their father that if they were ever in danger, being separate would give them more strength than staying together. Thus, each boy has to develop strengths through the adventure that he had depended on his brother for in peaceful times. They individuate as characters and souls.

A subtheme that seems almost quaint and certainly would not pass muster in this century is the gradual conversion of the boys to Christianity. Scotland is Catholic and the brothers are exposed to it at every turn. Today, it seems heavy-handed, but really, in the context of the book, it is beautifully done, and with a light touch.  And, it does reflect the enculturation that the boys undergo. I am sad that they do not mourn their own ways, and at the end of the book (the very last words) declare “We are Scots!” There is a clear winner in this culture war.

But, I recommend this book. Its pace is quick, vocabulary is mild, and the details of medieval castle life and historical events are compelling. The suspense built by the twins’ separation and their frequent exchange of identities kept me going till the end.

Angeli, Marguerite de, A Door in the Wall

I substituted this book for The Black Fox of Lorne, which was unavailable. A Door in the Wall is a Newberry winner written in the mid-1950s. It’s a medieval tale about a boy who loses the use of his legs but nevertheless saves the day. The book was engaging and read quickly. It was an interesting portrayal of medieval life in plague-ridden London, with accurate details and historical references. But, it was pretty Pollyanna-ish in terms of the boy’s predicament, which was never all that bad, since he had so many friends helping him all the time. For younger schoolchildren, however, it may be appropriate to soften the impact of the boy’s disability so they are not afraid for him. The messages of the book, that if you feel along a wall long enough, you’ll find a door; and that you certainly can NOT do something but you only CAN if you try; are both wholesome and useful. I liked this one.