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Dear America - Behind The Masks (2012)

by Susan Patron(Favorite Author)

3.59 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1615878742 (ISBN13: 9781615878741)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Scholastic

review 1: Weird book. This is the only one of the Dear America series that I've read but if I take this as an example I won't be recommending them to girls. The series sells itself as historical fiction with different girls throughout American History writing in their diaries. I'm quite impressed with the American Girl books and my daughter has loved those as well as learned a lot of history by reading them so I had high hopes for this series. This particular book has a ghost story as a large part of the plot with a dead toddler creepy ghost. I suppose people can have different views on this and many people love ghost stories, but I usually put ghost stories and realistic historical fiction in different categories. The story takes place in a gold rush town in the 1880s and muc... moreh of the plot revolves around the complicated financing of gold mines, the movement of gold bouillon and currency between banks and the the mine owners, and the resulting micro economy of the town and politics surrounding it. The intricacies of this plot were not well explained and are confusing for a children's story. Another major plot line has to do with brothels and dance halls and a young orphan girl facing working in them once she turns twelve. This aspect of the story isn't really explained at all, simply naming the places and indicating that it wouldn't be a good thing for the orphan, stating that proper ladies do not go near them. However, every time a prostitute is referred to she is a very sympathetic character and the women and men who indicate that these are not places for young ladies to be are shown in a negative light. A young reader who doesn't understand what a brothel or dance hall is would be very confused and wonder why the young orphan girl doesn't want to go there. Further, this topic for a story marketed for grade school girls seems odd to me.
review 2: Angeline Reddy's father, a lawyer in their small mining town, has supposedly been knifed to death, but she doesn't believe it. Struggling to help her mother, who is recuperating from a very bad abscessed tooth, Angie enlists the help of Mr. Duval, who works with her father, and Ling Loi, a Chinese girl who comes to her aid. She also makes friends with Eleanor, who is in her class. A vigilante group called the 601 is not happy with the work that Mr. Reddy is doing and are taking matters into their own hands, kicking people out of town. Since Angie feels that her father is still alive, she helps the ladies of the town plan the big fourth of July celebration, since her mother is not well enough to go to the meetings. Mr. Johl, a butcher who has been kind to Angie, asks the committee to let his wife work with them, but the ladies decline because Mrs. Johl was once worked in a brothel, and it wouldn't be proper. Angie stands up for Mrs. Johl, which turns out to be fortuitous, since Ling Loi was raised in the very brothel where Mrs. Johl worked, and considered her a mother figure. When the Johl's are run out of town by the 601, Angie is even more compelled to fight against them, even though she suspects that her friend Eleanor's father is working with them. When Mr. Reddy shows up at the town's elaborate fourth of July masked ball, he produces a list of the 601 that was stolen from Eleanor's father and results in the 601 being dealt with properly, which is difficult since the town sheriff and constable are both in the group. Notes and pictures following the story tell what parts of the story are based on real people and events, and which are fabricated. Strengths: Unlike many of the diary books, Angie is NOT overly concerned with her own issues, but instead is focused on the welfare of her father and the town. I especially liked all of the details of daily life that were included, like how to moth proof the carpets. This will be a big hit with fans of this series.Weaknesses: The sub plot with the ghost child seemed very out of place to me and the book would have made more sense to me if this story line had been omitted. less

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