Colibri

Starred review from July 21, 2003
Achieving an almost hypnotic intensity, this taut novel invites readers to sample both savory and bitter flavors of Guatemalan culture as Cameron (The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods) creates a melting pot of mixed values, religions and races, where both the pure and not-so-pure of heart have faith in a spirit world. The narrator, a 12-year-old girl, navigates an uncertain, mysterious world; in bits and pieces, the author reveals that Tzunún (Mayan for "hummingbird," which is colibrí
in Spanish) was kidnapped at age four, while her family was visiting Guatemala City. In the intervening eight years, Tzunún has wandered from village to village with the man she knows only as "Uncle." Most of her early childhood has slipped from her memory, but she does remember that the "first job" her mother gave her was "to be honest." Cameron's understated prose eloquently expresses the complex, interdependent relationship between Tzunún and her kidnapper, who remain linked even though they feel little affection for each other. Tzunún does not leave Uncle because she is afraid of being alone, and Uncle keeps close watch over Tzunún because a fortuneteller predicted that she will lead him to treasure some day. Tension mounts as Tzunún is pressured to lie, cheat and eventually steal for Uncle. In the end, her strong morality is both a saving grace and a threat to her survival, freeing her from Uncle but putting her in danger of his vengeance. Tzunún's struggle to stay true to herself is moving and suspenseful. If the protagonist's final destiny feels somewhat contrived, her growth is convincing nonetheless. Ages 10-up.

April 1, 2005
PreS-Gr K -Daffy Dave, aka Dave Mampel, presents nine stories and four lullabies on this collection. The stories rely far too much on rhyme at the expense of plot or sense, and the narrator's slow, saccharine delivery ensures that the recording will hold little appeal for children above preschool level. Some of the stories have potential -in "Francesca Falls Asleep," Dad's mention of "Plan C" for getting his daughter to sleep inspires more thought, wonder, and sleepiness than all the glasses of warm milk in the world, and "Larry Lemon's Strange Dream" is a modern take on the story of the lion and the mouse that features a little boy getting trapped in a cage made of dinosaur bones -but even these are marred by tedious delivery and stilted rhyme. Daffy Dave's sidekick, cowboy "Dusty Buckles," livens things up a bit in the narrative segments, but the real treasures here are the four somnolent lullabies, particularly the lovely instrumental, "Dusty's Lullaby," that serves as the album's finale. Overall, however, this collection will put listeners to sleep, but for all the wrong reasons. -"Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2004
Tzunun Chumil, around twelve years old, barely remembers her parents but knows their nickname for her: Colibri. Tzunun's fortunes are tethered to an itinerant ex-soldier who kidnapped her when she was four and has since forced her into a life of begging and petty thievery. Narrator Kim perfectly captures the timbre of a pre-adolescent girl's voice, and her pronunciation of Spanish phrases and Guatemalan place names is effortlessly lilting. She shifts easily among the other players in this tense drama: brutal "Uncle," his sleazy partner Raimundo, and the kind visionary Dona Celestina. Moving carefully from flat hopelessness to timorous determination to fiery rage, Kim, in the persona of Tzunun, gives us a clear portrait of a child gradually gathering the strength to take her destiny into her own hands.

(Copyright 2004 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)