| "THE WALL: GROWING UP BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN"
Author: Peter Sis
Interest Level: Middle Grades (4-8)
ATOS Reading Level: 5.2
AR Points: 1.0
Publisher Recommended Age: 8+
Publisher: Macmillan/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Book Type: Hardcover
Pages: 56
Book Description:
“I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side—the Communist side—of the Iron Curtain.” Through annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter Sís shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe.
But adolescence brought questions. Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country. Sís learned about beat poetry, rock ’n’ roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola. He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band.
Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time. It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion.
But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilities—creativity could be discouraged but not easily killed. By joining memory and history, Sís takes us on his extraordinary journey: from infant with paintbrush in hand to young man borne aloft by the wings of his art.
Book Reviews:
School Library Journal (Starred Review): "Complex, multifaceted, rich in detail ...(Sís’s) concluding visions of freedom are both poignant and exhilarating.”
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review): "Younger readers have not had a graphic memoir with the power of Maus or Persepolisto to call their own, but they do now." Ages 8+."
VOYA: "Simply and effectively illustrates the history of Czechoslovakia's struggle with totalitarianism and evokes the dreams of his repressed people."
The Wall Street Journal: "Mr. Sís's account belongs as much in the living room as it does in the nursery."
Book Awards:
- USA: Caldecott Honor Book
- USA: Robert F. Sibert Award 2008
- USA: ALA (American Library Assn), Best Books for Young Adults
- USA: ALA, Notable Children's Books
- USA: Boston Globe, Horn Book Award
- International: IRA (Int'l Reading Assn), Notable Books for a Global Society
- USA: New York Times Book Review, Best Illustrated Books of the Year
- USA: Orbis Pictus
- USA: Amazon.com, Top 10 Editors' Picks for Children
- USA: Bank Street, Best Children's Book of the Year
- USA: New York Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
- USA: Booklist, Top 10 Biographies for Youth
- USA: Booklist, Editor's Choice
- USA: Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Blue Ribbon Award
- USA: Horn Book Fanfare
- USA: Publishers Weekly, Best Children's Books of the Year
- USA: School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year
- USA: VOYA, Nonfiction Honor List
- USA: Kirkus Reviews, Editor's Choice
About the Author:
PETER SÍS, a MacArthur Fellow and internationally renowned artist, received Caldecott Honors for Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei and Tibet Through the Red Box. He has lived in and around New York City since 1984. |
