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Vol.
III, Issue 2, July 14, 2004 |
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July Book Reviews | 1 - 2 - 3Arrathoon, L.A. (2003). Magical Adventures in Michigan. Rochester, MI. Paint Creek Press, Ltd. 349 p. $29.95. [ISBN 1-893047-10-5]Leigh Arrathoon’s recent publication, Magical Adventures in Michigan is a collection of short stories working Michigan history and cultural events within a framework of everyday problems and concerns faced by children. Those who have read the author’s previous works on Michigan history, the series Jody’s Michigan Adventures, will find much of this book familiar. Many of the tales from this series are included in Magical Adventures in Michigan. The book is illustrated by Lori Taylor. The stories begin with the introduction of Giovanni, the Wizard of Paint Creek and his great-nephew, Mancini. Mancini comes to Giovanni to train as an apprentice wizard. He is young, arrogant and believes that a wizard’s magic should be used to better one's self. However, the reader soon discovers that Giovanni has other plans—to show Mancini that a good wizard is wise, decent and uses magical powers to guide people in their everyday activities. Giovanni’s tool to accomplish this is through a stuffed mouse named Jody, who talks to children who are imaginative enough to believe in him. Jody speaks to one of the main characters, Katie Murphy, a very precocious child, guiding her through various situations that she finds difficult. Giovanni’s stories appear after each tale of the Murphy family’s various trips in Michigan. The strong point of this book is the stories that follow the adventures of the Murphy family. As an adult, Katie’s brother Kevin is writing about their childhood and the family’s adventures in Michigan. Katie insists that Kevin add a story line about the Wizard of Paint Creek and Jody so that readers would understand how and why Katie came into possession of this toy. The stories Kevin writes about are twofold. First, they reflect key points of Michigan history and culture. Nine areas of Michigan are identified, with emphasis on some historical aspect of each area. For example, the chapter on Holland, Michigan focuses on the family’s trip to the annual Tulip Festival and the city’s Dutch heritage. Other stories focus on Mackinac Island, Frankenmuth, the Northwest, the Upper Peninsula, Detroit, The Henry Ford (formerly, Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village), Lansing, and the Northeast. Secondly, within these historical and cultural settings are situations involving Kevin and Katie that focus on common problems and dilemmas of children. These stories involve issues such as friendship, unemployment, theft, and bullying with possible solutions to problems included. In addition to these stories and Giovanni’s wise guidance of Katie throughout, the apprentice Mancini is guided not only by his uncle, but also by Priscilla, a memsegewesiwug, an Ojibwa fairy. Priscilla shows Mancini different aspects of Ojibwa culture, treatment of Native Americans in the past and present, and difficulties that continue in the 21st century for many Native Americans. The historical stories contained in Magical Adventures in Michigan are well written and likely to captivate children. The author has clearly done much research of Michigan history and Native American culture. The history presented appears to be factually accurate and are presented in way that children would enjoy and understand. The inclusion of the oft-neglected aspects of Ojibwa history and culture are also a strong point of the book. By presenting history in a fictional setting, the author makes this subject more accessible to young readers. A wonderful addition is the inclusion of words that may be unfamiliar to many young readers (and in the case of Ojibwa vocabulary, words that are unfamiliar to many adults, too!) along with their definitions within the text. The words are again included in an index at the end of the book for easy reference. The only criticism is the focus of the author. It was unclear from reading the author’s preface and from reading the book whether her intent is to present a book of history for children or one concerning common childhood challenges and concerns with history as a side note. Although the book is a collection of short stories, it seemed as if the author was attempting to link each tale of Michigan history or culture with the “wizard” story that follows. The themes of Michigan history and childhood concerns together do not seem to mesh well in this book and feel a little disjointed. Individually, however, each story is fine. The publisher’s website recommends Magical Adventures in Michigan for readers ages 10 and older. Although the size of the book may be a bit cumbersome for regular use, with it having 349 pages, it is worthy of consideration as a supplement to a classroom study of Michigan history (especially for those unfamiliar with Jody’s Michigan Adventures), or to enhance a collection of works by Michigan authors. Reviewed by Beth Johns, Student, Library and Information Science Program, Wayne State University, ak5766@wayne.edu.
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