Everywhere

Afraid that his beloved grandfather will die after suffering a heart attack, a nine-year-old boy agrees to join ten-year-old Dooley in performing a mysterious ritual called soul switching.

A gem of a story to be read aloud or to be savored while curled up alone in a private nook, Everywhere is brilliantly written and likely to endure for years to come. It takes only one page for Brooks to establish the convincing voice of a believable ten-year-old boy, shaken and afraid because his beloved grandfather is near death. He welcomes the arrival of Dooley, the 11-year-old nephew of his grandfather's black nurse, who is brought in to keep him company during the crisis. Borrowing information extracted from comic-book lore, Dooley explains the theory of "soul switching" and executes that procedure with a turtle, thereby saving the old gentleman from death. Brooks prepares his readers for a gory scene and then deftly provides a reassuring, credible, wholly satisfying denouement. No death, no bloodshed, and Dooley emerges a proud, dignified, splendid character indeed. The narrator remains introspective and thoughtful to the end, and has the maturity to see the wonder of the incident long after. The writing is polished and the mood evoked is not unlike that of To Kill a Mockingbird , revealing a knowledge and understanding of the South in the not too distant past. (However, the gritty and pragmatic nurse may remind adults of Hollywood's Hattie McDaniel.) The special affection that exists between grandfather and grandson is moving, but never maudlin. Each facet of this story contributes to its overall luster. --Phyllis G. Sidorsky, National Cathedral School, Washington, DC
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The heart attack and near-death of the narrator's grandfather are the focus of Brooks's new novel, a lyrical, mystical excursion into the realm of the spirit and a testament to the power of hope and love. The events of the novel are not in themselves momentous. Spanning a single day, the plot concerns the efforts of another boy, Dooley, to effect a "spirit switch" that will save the old man by sacrificing a turtle in his stead. Although Dooley loses his nerve at the crucial moment, the narrator learns this only belatedly, by which point the kindly subterfuge has indeed worked a sort of magic. Brooks's ( The Moves Make the Man ; No Kidding ) achievement lies in the degree to which readers, along with the narrator, will suspend disbelief and begin to trust in Dooley's mysterious and clearly improvised ministrations. His active insistence that the grandfather can and will be saved proves totally compelling. And the precise prose throughout paints a memorable portrait of a sensitive, reflective child, while highlighting the large and small moments from which the closest human ties are forged. Ages 9-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.