Tag fiction

Disappearance Turns Around Boy’s Life

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

Catherine Ryan Hyde, who authored the huge best seller Pay It Forward, is sneaky. I was an hour or so into Have You Seen Luis Velez? and wondered how her book would measure up to 10 others by Hyde that I had read. And then it happened.

I was hooked, just as I have been in all her books, when I was drawn like a powerful magnet to the seductive mysteries surrounding the lives of the major players.

Raymond Jaffe, 17, lives in a New York City apartment with his mom—who is preoccupied with two jobs—and an aloof, cold stepdad. Every other weekend, he stays with his dad and his stepmom, who sees Raymond as a painful reminder of her husband’s previous life.

His best (and only) friend moves away, leaving him as a school outcast who cares for a feral cat that lives in an abandoned building. As you might expect, Raymond is lonely, but his backbone strengthens when he finds purpose in the greatest search of his life.

Enter Mildred Guterman, a blind German Jew who barely escaped the Holocaust. At 92, she depends on Luis Velez, a young man with a pregnant wife, two kids, and a kind heart. He takes Mrs. G to the grocery store every few days and helps her with other chores.

One day, she calls out to Raymond when she hears his squeaky shoe in the apartment building hallway. Almost out of food, she asks Raymond if he knows where Luis Velez has gone. No one seems to know. Filling the void, Raymond becomes her grocery store fill-in helper and he brings her the cat to keep her company.

For Raymond, Mrs. G is much more than a new friend, and he discovers that he can talk to her about issues in his life that he has never felt comfortable voicing to anyone. It pains him that his elderly neighbor dearly misses her best friend, so he sets out to get to the bottom of Luis Velez’ disappearance. Raymond’s journey takes him around New York City to dead ends, dangerous characters, slammed doors, and language challenges.

Does Raymond find Luis? Yes and no.

Race, bigotry, justice, and the power of kindness all play prominent roles in this story. This is an ideal choice for a book club selection and the author includes a list of questions for that purpose.

I have read about a fourth of Hyde’s 40-plus books. “Have You Seen Luis Velez?” will not be the last.

Another Winner From Gary D. Schmidt

Reg Spittle Leave a comment

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

This metaphorical phrase is a powerful theme of Jupiter Rising, by Gary D. Schmidt, author of two Newbery Honor books.

As the book launches, high school student Jack is mourning the loss of his step brother Joseph in a tragic event. Joseph, a teen father, leaves behind his orphaned daughter, Jupiter, who lives with Jack and his parents. In a move that makes no one happy, Jack’s P.E. coach assigns Jack to run with fellow student Jay to prepare for the school cross-country team.

At the beginning, I was tempted to label one character as an insensitive bully, another as pushy, a third as an irresponsible loser. At least Jupiter had Jack and Jack’s parents to look after her after her father’s death.

Like Jack, I learned that several of the people in his life are not who he thinks they are. And another gut-wrenching loss looms. No one will be left unaffected in a staggering series of events.

Jupiter Rising is one more compelling story by my favorite author of books for children, young adults, and everyone else. Schmidt creates characters who carry baggage and qualities that he unveils in tantalizing sequences. It is a sequel to Orbiting Jupiter, but can stand on its own.

If you are looking for another superb Schmidt book, try Okay for Now, which redefined excellence in youth literature for me.