From Publishers Weekly
This strained tale launches Napoli's (Crazy Jack, reviewed below) Angelwings series, in which young angels must help a youngster with a problem in order to earn their wings. Taking a cue from It's a Wonderful Life, the author explains, "Every time a little angel earned wings, a bell rang." Here, the Little Angel of Friendship's "tall task" is to help Patricia, a deaf child who has recently moved from a farm to a city apartment, to make new friends. The chapters alternate between what's happening in Patricia's world and forced, preachy interludes (called "Angel Talk") between the Archangel of Friendship and the little angel. Patricia's initial attempt to play with her neighbor, Lynsey, and another girl ends in disaster (Patricia watches in frustration as their mouths "moved and moved"). Readers find out why in the "Angel Talk" that follows: the little angel causes havoc when he blows on Lynsey's cheek ("I thought it might make her realize how confused and left out Patricia felt"), and the draft compels Lynsey to wrap a blanket around Patricia and stick a pacifier in her mouth so she can play the baby while the others play adults. Eventually, the little angel's bell does ring, but Napoli's uncharacteristically uninspired prose and flimsy story line fail to get this series off the ground. Ages 7-10. (Oct.) FYI: The publisher promotes an "Earn Your Wings!" essay contest at book's end.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-This new series, capitalizing on the current interest in angels, is ostensibly aimed at newly independent readers. The plot centers around a deaf girl named Patricia, who is coping with a move from a family-run farm to a new life in an apartment in the city. The chapters alternate between her story and that of the Little Angel of Friendship, who is trying to earn his wings by helping troubled earthlings. The characters remain undeveloped and one-dimensional, neither of the dual story lines is particularly original, and the device of the alternating chapters is confusing and distracting. A disappointing debut.
Linda W. Tilden, Cherry Hill Library, NJ Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
