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zcherron's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
roseleaf24's review
4.0
This was an excellently written and engaging read. The characters were strong and likeable, and the relationships real.
I would not recommend this to anyone likely to take this one example of terrible theology as representative of the entire Christian faith.
I would not recommend this to anyone likely to take this one example of terrible theology as representative of the entire Christian faith.
crowyhead's review against another edition
5.0
This is an extremely brief book that sort of expands in your head once you've read it. It's a deceptively simple story: Pete, a thirteen-year-old boy who is discovering his Christianity, meets and itinerant revival preacher, who sweeps him off his feet with his religious fervor. Pete decides to leave town secretly with the preacher, feeling called by God to carry out His work. While making this decision, Pete is forced to deal with his less religious parents, as well as with his openly atheist best friend, Rufus.
I thought the whole thing was carried out beautifully. The preacher's irresponsible behavior is treated as the dangerous actions of one man, not as an indictment of Christianity, so this isn't by any means an anti-religious book. Instead, it's about humanity, and one boy's growing and changing faith. I definitely think it deserved the Newbery Honor it received, although like many of the Newbery books, I think it's a fairly specific audience that is going to draw a lot from it the first time they read. I think it's the kind of book that will stick in one's head, though, as it's stuck in mine.
I thought the whole thing was carried out beautifully. The preacher's irresponsible behavior is treated as the dangerous actions of one man, not as an indictment of Christianity, so this isn't by any means an anti-religious book. Instead, it's about humanity, and one boy's growing and changing faith. I definitely think it deserved the Newbery Honor it received, although like many of the Newbery books, I think it's a fairly specific audience that is going to draw a lot from it the first time they read. I think it's the kind of book that will stick in one's head, though, as it's stuck in mine.
tamarayork's review against another edition
2.0
Newbery Challenge 120/412. I love Cynthia Rylant’s books, but I did not love this one. It follows a 12 year old boy who is super religious and is worried about the souls of his atheist best friend and his parents who don’t go to church. A revival comes to town and with it the hitchhiking loner Preacher Man. The protagonist falls in love (no other way to describe it) with the Preacher Man and makes plans to run away with him. Preacher Man doesn’t show up and takes a local girl with him instead. The boy’s best friend is there to pick up the pieces. I think this story is supposed to be about friendship. I like to think it’s also about not judging others’ belief systems. But I couldn’t get past the over-the-top evangelical main character and the super creepy Preacher Man. How is it okay to plot to run away with a 12 year old?!? Don’t recommend.
tealmango's review against another edition
2.0
Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-roundup-april/
celestegibbs's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this. I normally don't like books that talk about faith because it gives shallow answers like "god did it". This book hit a good middle ground that doesn't make the world feel like problems aren't constant. :)
fatma81's review against another edition
3.0
Our souls in adolescence are so fragile that it could be easily crushed into fine white dust. That crush could be caused by first love, a broken friendship, a parent who let you down, or simply believing in a great meaning that has no real existence in our world.
I was watching Pete's infatuation with that fraud (The Preacher) and remembered all (The Preachers) who fooled me and a lot of my generation when we were young and naive. I remembered how we kept furiously defending them from anyone who would dare to doubt their intentions. I remembered my shock when i gradually started to know their ugly truth. I remembered how long did it took ages to recover from that shock.
Cynthia Rylant-my dear favourite writer-has successfully and sweetly as usual showed us a concise yet thorough look into a week in a thirteen years old boy that left unforgetful mark on his life.
Cynthia Rylant, i love you. Your writing is a meditation for me.
I was watching Pete's infatuation with that fraud (The Preacher) and remembered all (The Preachers) who fooled me and a lot of my generation when we were young and naive. I remembered how we kept furiously defending them from anyone who would dare to doubt their intentions. I remembered my shock when i gradually started to know their ugly truth. I remembered how long did it took ages to recover from that shock.
Cynthia Rylant-my dear favourite writer-has successfully and sweetly as usual showed us a concise yet thorough look into a week in a thirteen years old boy that left unforgetful mark on his life.
Cynthia Rylant, i love you. Your writing is a meditation for me.
fatmayehia's review against another edition
3.0
Our souls in adolescence are so fragile that it could be easily crushed into fine white dust. That crush could be caused by first love, a broken friendship, a parent who let you down, or simply believing in a great meaning that has no real existence in our world.
I was watching Pete's infatuation with that fraud (The Preacher) and remembered all (The Preachers) who fooled me and a lot of my generation when we were young and naive. I remembered how we kept furiously defending them from anyone who would dare to doubt their intentions. I remembered my shock when i gradually started to know their ugly truth. I remembered how long did it took ages to recover from that shock.
Cynthia Rylant-my dear favourite writer-has successfully and sweetly as usual showed us a concise yet thorough look into a week in a thirteen years old boy that left unforgetful mark on his life.
Cynthia Rylant, i love you. Your writing is a meditation for me.
I was watching Pete's infatuation with that fraud (The Preacher) and remembered all (The Preachers) who fooled me and a lot of my generation when we were young and naive. I remembered how we kept furiously defending them from anyone who would dare to doubt their intentions. I remembered my shock when i gradually started to know their ugly truth. I remembered how long did it took ages to recover from that shock.
Cynthia Rylant-my dear favourite writer-has successfully and sweetly as usual showed us a concise yet thorough look into a week in a thirteen years old boy that left unforgetful mark on his life.
Cynthia Rylant, i love you. Your writing is a meditation for me.
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
4.0
This review compares two short, religious-themed middle grade novels from the 1980s: [b: The Glory Girl|1330329|The Glory Girl|Betsy Byars|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1182795657s/1330329.jpg|1319813] by Betsy Byars and [b: A Fine White Dust|1140838|A Fine White Dust|Cynthia Rylant|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1181349043s/1140838.jpg|1128137] by Cynthia Rylant.
Plot
The Glory Girl is about a family of gospel singers, all of whom can carry a tune except for the main character, Anna. Poor Anna has a terrible voice and no rhythm, so whenever her family performs, she is relegated to the back of the room where she is expected to sell as many tape recordings of her family's music as she can. This arrangement, along with her father's generally unpleasant attitude, leave Anna feeling left out and lonely much of the time. This changes, however, when her Uncle Newt is suddenly paroled and sent home from prison. Though he initially doesn't show up to meet his family upon his release, Uncle Newt lingers on the edges of their lives, occasionally interacting with Anna, who finds in him a kindred spirit who understands her feelings of isolation. When her family is involved in a serious accident, Anna turns to Uncle Newt for help, hoping he might be able to rescue her family and also reclaim his own place in it.
A Fine White Dust is about a thirteen-year-old boy with a strong sense of religious fervor. Though his parents are not believers and his best friend is an atheist, Pete can't help but feel drawn to church, and to the Man, the preacher who comes to speak at the revival. From the moment Pete comes forward to be "saved," he feels an undying love for the Man, whom he credits with bringing him closer to Jesus. As his love for the Man grows, Pete decides he will go with him on the road to bring God's word to others, only to find that perhaps the preacher is not as wonderful - or as honest - as Pete has imagined him to be.
Each of these books has a compelling plot, and they both involve outsiders who are looking for an adult figure to help them feel a sense of belonging. While Pete's relationship to the preacher seems more likely than Anna's kinship with the uncle she barely sees, I was more comfortable reading about Anna and Uncle Newt than I was with Pete and the preacher, who makes me uneasy, mostly because of how Pete almost equates him with God. Both books are tightly plotted and very short, leaving little room for unnecessary events. Of the two, though, The Glory Girl is more outwardly exciting, while A Fine White Dust is more emotional and personal.
Characterization
Both Byars and Rylant are excellent at writing well-crafted and utterly credible characters. I think I felt more sympathy for Anna Glory, partly because she is a girl, but mostly because I could understand her longing to be a part of the family singing group. I didn't feel the same sense of understanding with Pete, as the kind of Christian worship he participates in is very far removed from what Catholics do (it reminded me of the film The Apostle) and I can't really understand his desire to participate in it. I did, however, believe fully in his desire to participate, and to be as close to the Man as possible because of the good feelings associated with his acceptance of Jesus at the revival. I felt bad for both characters, but Rylant does a better job of making me feel what her character feels even when I have never felt that way myself.
In terms of secondary characters, I think the strongest across both books is Pete's best friend, Rufus, who comes through for him time and again even when Pete hasn't been especially nice to him. There aren't a lot of scenes with Rufus, but what is written gives a really good sense of his role in Pete's life and of the close nature of their friendship. The accident-prone twins in the Glory family were also really appealing and their dialogue was funny and sounded like real brothers who both insult and defend each other in the same breath. But I also thought they were pretty similar to other boys in other Byars books.
Treatment of Religion
A Goodreads review of The Glory Girl suggests that Betsy Byars hates religious people. I didn't get that sense at all. Yes, the Glorys are religious, and their father seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but I didn't take that to mean he was zealous in a negative way or that the accident was a punishment or comeuppance from God meant to show the error of his ways. Rather, the book is about two things: the way disastrous events can change a family, and the way outside influences might help a misfit child realize there is more to life than the group where she doesn't quite fit. This book was much less about religion than it was about a family that happened to be religious.
A Fine White Dust deals entirely with religion, but again, not in a negative way. Even when the truth about the preacher comes to light (which, by the way, is not as dire as my attempts to avoid spoilers make it sound), Pete is able to distinguish between the failure of a man and the failure of God. Pete also becomes more willing to look with kindness and fairness upon those who don't share his faith after the events of this book. I actually though the story would make a great jumping-off point for discussing the ways people can manipulate belief in God to suit their own purposes, and for warning against false prophets.
Quality of Writing
The writing in both of these books is spare and concise, which I love, and I think this approach suited both stories really well. I am biased toward Betsy Byars, as I love so much of what she writes, but this was not her best book, and Rylant really writes beautifully as well. I especially like the way her story comes full circle, using the image of the fine white dust (the remains of a cross Pete has broken in anger) to show Pete's change of heart after his brief friendship with the preacher. I could definitely see the distinctive qualities that would lead a Newbery committee to recognize this book.
And the winner is...
It's close, but in this match-up, I think the winner is A Fine White Dust. The writing is really strong, the rise and fall of the story really lovely, and Pete's emotions come across really strongly. The Glory Girl is also really good, but I think A Fine White Dust has more depth and will stick with me longer.
This "book battle" review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Plot
The Glory Girl is about a family of gospel singers, all of whom can carry a tune except for the main character, Anna. Poor Anna has a terrible voice and no rhythm, so whenever her family performs, she is relegated to the back of the room where she is expected to sell as many tape recordings of her family's music as she can. This arrangement, along with her father's generally unpleasant attitude, leave Anna feeling left out and lonely much of the time. This changes, however, when her Uncle Newt is suddenly paroled and sent home from prison. Though he initially doesn't show up to meet his family upon his release, Uncle Newt lingers on the edges of their lives, occasionally interacting with Anna, who finds in him a kindred spirit who understands her feelings of isolation. When her family is involved in a serious accident, Anna turns to Uncle Newt for help, hoping he might be able to rescue her family and also reclaim his own place in it.
A Fine White Dust is about a thirteen-year-old boy with a strong sense of religious fervor. Though his parents are not believers and his best friend is an atheist, Pete can't help but feel drawn to church, and to the Man, the preacher who comes to speak at the revival. From the moment Pete comes forward to be "saved," he feels an undying love for the Man, whom he credits with bringing him closer to Jesus. As his love for the Man grows, Pete decides he will go with him on the road to bring God's word to others, only to find that perhaps the preacher is not as wonderful - or as honest - as Pete has imagined him to be.
Each of these books has a compelling plot, and they both involve outsiders who are looking for an adult figure to help them feel a sense of belonging. While Pete's relationship to the preacher seems more likely than Anna's kinship with the uncle she barely sees, I was more comfortable reading about Anna and Uncle Newt than I was with Pete and the preacher, who makes me uneasy, mostly because of how Pete almost equates him with God. Both books are tightly plotted and very short, leaving little room for unnecessary events. Of the two, though, The Glory Girl is more outwardly exciting, while A Fine White Dust is more emotional and personal.
Characterization
Both Byars and Rylant are excellent at writing well-crafted and utterly credible characters. I think I felt more sympathy for Anna Glory, partly because she is a girl, but mostly because I could understand her longing to be a part of the family singing group. I didn't feel the same sense of understanding with Pete, as the kind of Christian worship he participates in is very far removed from what Catholics do (it reminded me of the film The Apostle) and I can't really understand his desire to participate in it. I did, however, believe fully in his desire to participate, and to be as close to the Man as possible because of the good feelings associated with his acceptance of Jesus at the revival. I felt bad for both characters, but Rylant does a better job of making me feel what her character feels even when I have never felt that way myself.
In terms of secondary characters, I think the strongest across both books is Pete's best friend, Rufus, who comes through for him time and again even when Pete hasn't been especially nice to him. There aren't a lot of scenes with Rufus, but what is written gives a really good sense of his role in Pete's life and of the close nature of their friendship. The accident-prone twins in the Glory family were also really appealing and their dialogue was funny and sounded like real brothers who both insult and defend each other in the same breath. But I also thought they were pretty similar to other boys in other Byars books.
Treatment of Religion
A Goodreads review of The Glory Girl suggests that Betsy Byars hates religious people. I didn't get that sense at all. Yes, the Glorys are religious, and their father seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder, but I didn't take that to mean he was zealous in a negative way or that the accident was a punishment or comeuppance from God meant to show the error of his ways. Rather, the book is about two things: the way disastrous events can change a family, and the way outside influences might help a misfit child realize there is more to life than the group where she doesn't quite fit. This book was much less about religion than it was about a family that happened to be religious.
A Fine White Dust deals entirely with religion, but again, not in a negative way. Even when the truth about the preacher comes to light (which, by the way, is not as dire as my attempts to avoid spoilers make it sound), Pete is able to distinguish between the failure of a man and the failure of God. Pete also becomes more willing to look with kindness and fairness upon those who don't share his faith after the events of this book. I actually though the story would make a great jumping-off point for discussing the ways people can manipulate belief in God to suit their own purposes, and for warning against false prophets.
Quality of Writing
The writing in both of these books is spare and concise, which I love, and I think this approach suited both stories really well. I am biased toward Betsy Byars, as I love so much of what she writes, but this was not her best book, and Rylant really writes beautifully as well. I especially like the way her story comes full circle, using the image of the fine white dust (the remains of a cross Pete has broken in anger) to show Pete's change of heart after his brief friendship with the preacher. I could definitely see the distinctive qualities that would lead a Newbery committee to recognize this book.
And the winner is...
It's close, but in this match-up, I think the winner is A Fine White Dust. The writing is really strong, the rise and fall of the story really lovely, and Pete's emotions come across really strongly. The Glory Girl is also really good, but I think A Fine White Dust has more depth and will stick with me longer.
This "book battle" review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
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