Michael Cadnum
At a recent conference held in Nashville, Michael Cadnum stated that he always identified with Robin Hood. Cadnum's recent addition to the Robin Hood lore, In a Dark Wood (1998, Orchard, Ages 10 to 14, $17.95) features Geoffrey, Sheriff of Nottingham, as the vehicle for the tale. According to our reviewer, Mary Sue Preissner, "Geoffrey, conflicted by his personal desires and those of duty, must additionally deal with this thief Robin-an affront to the Crown. In an age where violence and torture are commonplace, he learns compassion and justice from the country's most infamous criminal." Readers can hear the voice of the living person in Cadnum's story.
Interested in how children see the world and people, Cadnum wrote The Lost and Found House which relates how a move affects a child. "The young boy has seen the new house in the faraway city but now it's moving day and he can't picture it at all. He can't remember the color of it or the yard or anything about it at all. After the moving van leaves the old house, he walks through trying to picture the things that are no longer there and has a difficult time seeing them in the new house. After spending a night in the new house, the boy wakes up and is able to begin picturing the paintings with the red horses, the bubbling of the aquarium, and the fish swimming in it once again. Cadnum does a nice job of transitioning between all of the emotions a young child goes through when moving to a new city." (1997, Viking, Ages 5 to 8, $14.99. Reviewer: Trina Heidt)
Heat, one of his newest books, was written because of his anger and frustration with an attorney who a decade earlier had defrauded his family. Heat would be his revenge. But once he began writing, something happened. He realized that the young protagonist would love her father and not see him as Cadnum did. Once he accepted compassion, the book changed and his own festering wound of ten years was able to heal. The writing let him work his way through vengeance. As our reviewer Chris Moning said "Don't judge this book (Heat) by its cover. If you were to do this, you would conclude that this is a story about a teenage girl who must rebuild her life after she suffers a serious diving accident. This beautifully written novel is about much more than that." See page 8 for his review.
Contributor: Marilyn Courtot
For more information on this author and his books, check out his web site michaelcadnum.com
Reviews
The Book of the LionMichael Cadnum
Edmund's life as a moneyer's apprentice takes a terrifying turn when he is thrown in jail for counterfeiting the King's money. Waiting for death in a cold dungeon, Edmund is surprised to learn that Sir Nigel, a knight, has spared his life. Taken in as a squire to the knight, Edmund must learn the responsibilities and expectations of his new life. Despite his lack of training, he joins with Richard Lionheart's forces on a Crusade to deliver the Holy Land. As he journeys by ship and by land, Edmund learns much about courage and determination from his companions. Whether plunged into the depths of the sea or sword fighting on the plains of Acre, Edmund realizes that courage comes from within. Sharp-edged details mixed with compassion for innocence reveal both the cruelty and the misguided intentions of the twelfth century Crusades. The Book of the Lion allows readers to gain a new perspective on war as they journey with a protagonist who wishes to do the right thing for the right reasons. Cadnum himself explains that he hoped to illuminate the "terrible paradox" of war with a novel showing good people engaging in senseless acts of violence. 2000, Viking, Ages 14 up, $15.99. Reviewer: Leah Hanson
ISBN: 0-670-88386-7
Edge
Michael Cadnum
Not unlike Robert Cormier and S.E. Hinton, Michael Cadnum understands well the art of opening the contents of an adolescent's mind to readers. Firmly situated within the genre of the young adult problem novel, Edge details a brief period in the life of one sixteen-year-old high school dropout. Zachary Madison's narration intersperses important events in his life-his father's nearly-fatal encounter with a car-jacking gunman, his own involvement in a gang fight, his attempt to shoot his father's assailant-between thoughts and observations about the behavior of the people around him. Recalling the night that he went to jail for throwing a kid through a shop window in a street brawl, Zachary comments of the jailer, "People can be nice at the strangest times, giving someone about to be booked for assault a paper towel so he can wipe the ink off his fingers." Strategically using detail and subtlety narrated flashbacks throughout the novel, Cadnum deposits multiple layers of the past onto the present as Zach tells his story. The protagonist's mastery of understatement and his tendency to narrate snapshots rather than whole episodes combine to create an intense and rich reading experience. 1997, Viking, Ages 12 up, $15.99. Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin
ISBN: 0-670-87335-7
Heat
Michael Cadnum
Don't judge this book by its cover. If you were to do this, you would conclude that this is a story about a teenage girl who must rebuild her life after she suffers a serious diving accident. This beautifully written novel is about much more than that. Three weeks shy of her seventeenth birthday, Bonnie Chamberlain learns that her father, whom she adores, is going to marry his secretary. Her mother is not completely surprised, but not completely unhurt. When Bonnie sustains a concussion while platform diving, she must draw on her courage to make a comeback. Meanwhile, her attorney father is arrested and charged with defrauding his clients, and Bonnie seems to be the only one who believes in him. Cadnum has created wonderfully rich and textured characters, especially Bonnie, the intelligent, quick-witted, courageous, and immensely likable heroine. A neurologist confides to Bonnie that she is going through a divorce. Bonnie in turn addresses the reader: "This happens to me-people look at me, make a judgement about my character, and tell me about themselves." You will feel the same trust toward this unique protagonist. Don't be fooled; this book is not about diving. This book is psychological drama at its finest. A winner. 1998, Viking, Ages 12 up, $15.99. Reviewer: Christopher Moning
ISBN: 0-670-87886-3
In a Dark Wood
Michael Cadnum
In this newest addition to the Robin Hood lore, Cadnum has chosen Geoffrey, Sheriff of Nottingham, as the vehicle for this tale. Conflicted by his personal desires and those of duty, Geoffrey must additionally deal with this thief Robin-an affront to the Crown. In an age where violence and torture are commonplace, he learns compassion and justice from the country's most infamous criminal. After a harrowing time held prisoner in the dark forest, Geoffrey emerges able to confronts his feelings and sense of duty, and able to make peace within himself. 1998, Orchard Books, Ages 10 to 14, $17.95. Reviewer: Mary Sue Preissner
ISBN: 0-531-30071-4
The Lost and Found House
Michael Cadnum
Illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
The young boy has seen the new house in the faraway city but now it's moving day and he can't picture it at all. He can't remember the color of it or the yard or anything about it at all. After the moving van leaves the old house, he walks through trying to picture the things that are no longer there and has a difficult time seeing them in the new house. On his first afternoon at the new house he sees a Frisbee floating up above the fence and returns it to the young boy and his sister who had thrown it-the new neighbors. After spending a night in the new house, the boy wakes up and is able to begin picturing the painting with the red horses, the bubbling of the aquarium, and the fish swimming in it once again. Cadnum does a nice job of transitioning between all of the emotions a young child goes through when moving to a new city. 1997, Viking, Ages 5 to 8, $14.99. Reviewer: Trina Heidt
ISBN: 0-670-84884-0
Taking It
Michael Cadnum
At first glance, Anna Charles seems to be the kind of enviable teenage girl who has it all: brains, looks, a boyfriend and material possessions. But no one in Anna's life, neither friends nor family really understand the hidden, inner turmoil that she is going through. This turmoil which is related to unresolved feelings about her parents' divorce and her new step- father, cause Anna to become involved in shoplifting, often without really remembering what she has done. This fast-moving, young adult novel is written in the first-person, and the author does a convincing job of showing us the inner struggles of a troubled young woman. 1995, Viking, Ages 12 to 16, $15.99. Reviewer: Gisela Jernigan
ISBN: 0-670-86130-8
Zero at the Bone
Michael Cadnum
Cadnum offers a gripping account of a family's ordeal when their eighteen-year-old daughter, Anita, fails to come home from work one night. The story is told by her younger brother, Cray. As the days stretch on, readers experience Cray and his parents' emotions as they cope with Anita's disappearance. 1996, Viking, Ages 13 up, $14.99 and $4.99. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-670-86725-X
ISBN: 0-14-038628-9
Added 10/01/00
To stay up to date on new books by this author, consider subscribing to The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. For your free trial, click here.
If you're interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.