Illustrator: Peter Sis
Published: 2010, Scholastic
384 pages
This is a fictional biography of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, focusing mostly on his childhood. It details the possible relationships he had with his emotionally abusive father, loving stepmother, and two siblings. He was a shy boy who had a stutter, but also had a way with the written word. And that's as far as I can go in my description, because.......
I hated it! I really just don't get it. What exactly is the purpose of a "fictional biography"? "Fiction" and "biography" are two completely conflicting concepts and I have no idea how they ever combined to become the most illegitimate child in literature. Even more annoying than the whole concept behind the book is the fact that the story Munoz made up isn't even entertaining. She skims the surface of what life may have been like for Neruda growing up, but never really goes in depth. It is full of "blah" characters amidst a "blah" storyline.
For some reason completely beyond my comprehension, this book has received absolutely rave reviews. It has gotten starred reviews (translation: "book of remarkable merit" for Kirkus) from all the major reviewing sources, which is virtually unheard of. It is even in the running for the 2011 Newbery Medal! To make matters worse, a very reliable source told me that it has a very real chance of winning! Come on, Newbery committee, we can do better than this!
On the positive side, the book itself is very beautiful. The cover is gorgeous, as are the illustrations by Peter Sis. As far as content is concerned, though, it didn't even make me want to read any of Neruda's poems, which were right in the back of the book. Not a very good sign, if you ask me.
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