From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9-This novel takes place predominantly in Canada's coal-mining territory and ends at the beginning of World War II. Frances begins her story in 1923, when her father died in a mining accident and she was born, and narrates it in chapters divided by milestones in her Croatian family's life. She lives in a boarding house filled with her two brothers and scores of extended family members in addition to the paying customers, the miners. Poverty and worry about injury to the mine workers are a constant presence. Frequent allusions to mystical occurrences and visions in the child's imagination are woven into her story. Descriptions are rich; for example, Frances depicts awaking to "-deep dark. Four A.M. When the dreams lay upon me, thick as vapor-." Such depictions are plentiful and will help define the story for readers. Accurate historical references describing transportation, housekeeping, current events, and daily living set the story firmly in the first half of the 20th century. Schwartz's novel emphasizes the joys of a closely knit family, no matter what their economic status.
Susan Cooley, Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DECopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Messenger is a wonderful story well told. Aimed at readers aged 12 and up, this is the very best kind of book for children: a real novel with a real story beautifully told."
--
January Magazine
