them's fightin' words

A recent review from the Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books (ordinarily, my favorite review journal, but it has been slipping, thanks in part to reviews like these) made me pace up and down, hurling insults. The review was of Eva Ibbotson's The Star of Kazan. And here's the thing - I hadn't even read Star of Kazan yet! The reviewer had written that Ibbotson was departing from the norm when she wrote a book without supernatural elements. The reviewer completely missed the fact that Ibbotson wasn't departing from anything; rather, she was returning to the inspiration for her adult books. What Ibbotson did, rather better than one would think possible, is revisit some of the themes from her books for adults without leaving behind a young audience. Several of the details from other books are there: the carp from Glove Shop in Vienna, the storks from A Song for Summer, the passion to be useful from Magic Flutes.
The Star of Kazan isn't a perfect book, but it's a great read for a winter night. Annika and Zed, in particular, are vivid characters. The plot relies on coincidence - but then again, the coincidences add to the fairy-tale quality of the book. Certainly, the book deserved better than it got at the hands of The Bulletin.
Note: While I hadn't read The Star of Kazan when I read the Bulletin review, I have read it now, of course.