Secret Letters From 0 to 10

Ernest's boring life suddenly veers down an unexpected path when Victoria, the new girl at school, falls head-over-heels in love with him, declares that the two will wed in less than fourteen years, and begins handing out wedding invitations to all their friends.

Grade 5-7-Winner of the French equivalent of the Newbery medal, this novel portrays the poignant journey of a young boy who learns to enjoy life, express his love for others and, at the same time, learn to love himself. Ten-year-old Ernest Morlaisse leads a quiet, uneventful life. He comes home from school, eats the same snack each day, and does his homework. He lives with his elderly grandmother who hardly speaks to him, especially about his dead mother and the father who deserted him when he was one day old. All this changes when a new girl, Victoria de Montardent, comes on the scene. For her, it's love at first sight. "We're getting married in thirteen years, eight months and three days" she tells him at one point. Her exuberance and joie de vivre captivate Ernest. Victoria and her 13 brothers befriend him, and he slowly begins to find joy in experiencing new things and encouraging his grandmother to leave her self-made prison behind. He also finds the courage to search for his father. The translation from the French is only noticeable because of a certain formality and precision in language that is not usually found in books for this age group. This formality lends considerable charm to the telling but requires a more thoughtful reader. Morgenstern has created extremely well-drawn, distinct, and sometimes quirky characters with eloquent dialogue. Since this is a quiet novel, it may need to be pushed. However, readers will not soon forget Victoria de Montardent and the journey Ernest takes to embrace life.
Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Terse prose and a lovable hero in the form of Ernest Morlaisse, a deprived young man whose life turns topsy-turvy with a new neighbor's arrival, give this French novel universal appeal. There is no magic involved here, just the irrepressible spirit of Victoria de Montardent. This human "bulldozer" charges into his classroom and pulls 10-year-old Ernest into the colorful, modern world lying outside the door of his 80-year-old ("the kind of eighty that is really old") grandmother's house, a place where daily routines are as bland and predictable as the soup he has for dinner each night. Led by Victoria (and occasionally some of her 13 lively brothers), Ernest experiences a wide range of firsts: "I have tasted a delicious fondue, I have held an adorable baby in my arms, I have discovered the supermarket experience," he later reflects in a letter. He also learns the whereabouts of his long-lost father and is finally able to unveil the meaning of a puzzling missive written by his grandfather half a century ago. Not only will readers relish the serendipitous twists this novel has to offer, but their appreciation of ordinary pleasures (such as eating chocolate and scanning a book in the grocery store) may be heightened as they share Ernest's delight in discovering each new taste, texture, smell, sound and sight. Wrought with energy and wit, this chronicle of Ernest's metamorphosis from sheltered na?f into vibrant young man is not to be missed. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This charming translation of a French award-winner is certain to enchant readers on this side of the Atlantic. Ernest is ten, and his life is utterly predictable. He lives with his ancient grandmother and her equally ancient housekeeper in a silent house without television or telephone, populated with memories of the dead. Ernest knows his mother died when he was born, and his father disappeared thereafter. Into his completely ordered life breezes Victoria, a new classmate with 13 brothers and a decidedly unimpeded view of life. She introduces Ernest to everything from chocolate to her baby brother, and her exuberant, hugely entertaining family welcomes him. Before he knows it, Ernest has convinced his grandmother to go out one Sunday, and he begins to ask her, ever so tentatively, about his life, and hers. It is at Victoria's home that he catches a glimpse on television of a man who looks just like him - could it be his father? All this is presented in a spritely and sweet style, occasionally eccentric and intensely French. Ernest's father has written him a letter every day of Ernest's life, and his first gesture is to send these, the ``0 to 10'' letters of the title, to him. A novel to cherish. (Fiction. 9-14) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 4^-7. Poor, 10-year-old Ernest Morlaisse: his mother died at his birth, his father deserted him one day later, and he is being brought up in a dreary, protected household by a grim, elderly grandmother, who rarely utters more than a few words and never smiles. Ernest's days are so structured they are completely devoid of joy and surprise, and the only mysteries life holds are the whereabouts of his father and the contents of a coded letter his grandfather sent just before he was killed in World War II. The arrival of Victoria de Montardent changes all that. Outgoing Victoria and her 13 vivacious brothers bulldoze Ernest into exploring life outside dull, familiar boundaries and help him experience the sensations and wonderment of love, loss, curiosity, pain, and joy. Morgenstern chronicles the awakening of Ernest's "sleepy old heart" through a wryly humorous narrative, presenting life's simple joys with such appreciation that events like going to the movies or answering the telephone seem as new to the reader as they do to a bemused Ernest. Quirky characters, heightening suspense, and hilarious situations are deftly combined in this tender novel, smoothly translated from the French, which examines a few of the large and small ways people affect one another. The richly rewarding happy ending will have kids begging for a sequel. Kathleen Squires