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Il Selvaggio (2009)

by David Almond(Favorite Author)

3.8 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

8861234208 (ISBN13: 9788861234208)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

review 1: Reviewed for SJSU LIBR 264 Summer 2014When Blue Baker's father dies Blue tries to find comfort through writing. His school counselor tries to encourage Blue to write down his emotions, but Blue finds more comfort in the story of a character he calls "The Savage." In his own way The Savage lives out the fears, emotions, and desires of his creator, to the extent that Blue begins to wonder whether The Savage is actually alive. Told in alternating perspective between Blue's reflections years later and clips from the story he wrote, The Savage is a dark and captivating tell that blurs the lines between real-life and literature. The distorted and sometimes-frightening images by Dave McKean capture the tone of the story perfectly and bring to life the pain and anger that Blue mus... moret work out through The Savage.This was a truly amazing story with mesmerizing images. Some of the pictures might be a bit frightening for younger readers, but older readers will likely be drawn by the images as well as the language of the young Blue. Death is not an easy subject to tackle with young readers and oftentimes the stories that attempt to deal with it end up sounding too moralistic or spiritual. The Savage does not attempt to teach or console, it merely lays bear the emotions Blue went through and the healing process that eventually led him to resolution.
review 2: David Almond has hit upon some of the best advice for youth who are dealing with harrowing problems – Write it down.Blue Baker’s father recently died. To make matters worse Blue has caught the eye of the school bully, Hopper. Because bullies are like wolves they look for the prey that is showing weakness, and right now Blue is showing weakness. Blue wishes he could smash Hopper’s face in, but he knows he’d get killed. Telling adults doesn’t seem to help either. So Blue does the only thing he can; he writes. Blue writes a graphic story about a grunting Savage who lives in his town and owns nothing more than a pair of pants and a knife. When the Savage pays a visit to Hopper in the middle of the night, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur. The Savage is almost who Blue wishes he could be, but is it who he will become?David Almond’s character, Blue, does the right things. He ignores the bully, he talks to parents, and he talks to teachers but it doesn’t make things any better. Instead of giving in to the anger he begins to vent his feelings through storytelling. And this outlet helps him in reality more than he could have possibly imagined. Anyone who has lost a parent can relate to this book. And if you have been bullied you can relate to this book. If you have dealt with both I’m sorry, but you must read this book. less

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