Colby Rodowsky
Colby Rodowsky defines herself as a realist who writes about real characters whether they are placed in contemporary setting or travel in time. Her books range from those for young readers Jenny and the Grand Old Great-Aunts (Bradbury, $14.00) and Dog Days (FS&G, $4.50) to middle grades with The Gathering Room (FS&G, $14.00), What About Me? (FS&G, $3.50), and Keeping Time (FS&G, $14.00) to young adult fiction such as Julie's Daughter (FS&G, $15.00).
Rodowsky creates believable characters who give the reader a lot to think about. In What About Me?, Dorrie is a teenager whose brother is mentally retarded. She is resentful of the attention he gets from their parents and is constantly embarrassed by his actions. It is easy to empathize with Dorrie's roller coaster emotions - one day hating her brother and parents and the next trying to love them all. Nobody's perfect, least of all Dorrie, but she is a real person and her story pulls on the reader's emotions.
In her two books that can be categorized as fantasy, Rodowsky tells us that time and space are forms of thought. She establishes a premise and a plausible device for time-travel. For Keeping Time she uses the song Greensleeves as the device to travel back in time. The lives of Drew and Simon, the two main characters, are linked. Drew's family are street performers in Baltimore, and Simon is an apprentice musician in 16th century London. Characters in the Gathering Room don't shift in time, but characters from the past appear and converse with those in the present.
In undertaking her research for this story Rodowsky visited cemeteries, read inscriptions on tombstones and came away with names and ideas for her fantasy. To provide authenticity in Keeping Time Rodowsky researched street names, customs, clothing, and musical instruments. As she roamed around Baltimore she found a street named Cheapside which also exists in London. Greensleeves was published in 1580 and, therefore, is an appropriate song choice. Well researched stories filled with vitality, drama, and humor and true-to-life characters make Colby Rodowsky an author worth knowing.
Reviews
Jenny and the Grand Old Great-Aunts
Colby Rodowsky
Illustrated by Barbara J. Roman
Jenny is not very happy about spending an afternoon with her great-aunts. It really seems scary, and what will they do in that big old house? What a surprise, as she and Aunt Abby end up in the attic, dancing to the Victrola and then enjoying a delightful tea downstairs with Aunt Claire. 1992, Bradbury Press, Ages 6 to 10, $13.95. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-02-777785-5
Keeping Time
Colby Rodowsky
Rodowsky tells us that time and space are forms of thought. She establishes a premise and a plausible device for time-travel. In Keeping Time she uses the song Greensleeves as the device to travel back in time. The lives of Drew and Simon, the two main characters, are linked. Drew's family are street performers in Baltimore, and Simon is an apprentice musician in 16th century London. To provide authenticity Rodowsky researched street names, customs, clothing, and musical instruments. As she roamed around Baltimore she found a street named Cheapside which also exists in London. Greensleeves was published in 1580 and, therefore, is an appropriate song choice. 1983, Farrar Straus Giroux, Ages 10 up, $14.00. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-374-34061-7
Not My Dog
Colby Rodowsky
Pictures by Thomas F. Yezerski
Rodowsky's first foray into chapter books for younger readers continues her theme of coming to terms with unwanted change. More than anything, eight-year-old Ellie wants a puppy. She's done her research and knows exactly how she'll train and care for it. A puppy has been promised for her ninth birthday. When she's suddenly presented with a dog-a used dog, at that-Ellie goes into a snit. How she learns to accommodate Great Aunt Margaret's beloved Preston is the grist of this thoughtful tale. 1999, Farrar Straus Giroux, Ages 6 to 9, $15.00. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr
ISBN: 0-374-35531-2
Remembering Mog
Colby Rodowsky
Although Annie Fitzhugh is about to graduate from high school, and has been accepted by several colleges, she feels very confused and uncertain about what to do with her life. This is a result of a family tragedy that occurred just two years earlier when her older sister Mog was murdered. Besides missing Mog, Annie feels disloyal because she is about to move on in her life without her sister. Although her mother's way of handling grief through denial makes things harder for Annie, gradually, through the help of other family members and a counselor, she comes to terms with her loss. 1996, Farrar, Ages 11 up, $15.00. Reviewer: Gisela Jernigan
ISBN: 0-374-34663-1
Sydney, Invincible
Colby Rodowsky
What could be worse than your mother being your teacher? How about your mother marrying another teacher, becoming pregnant, and also being your American history teacher? Such is the opening of Sydney Downie's junior year, and things get still more complicated as she watches the angst caused by the disintegrating marriage of her boyfriend's parents and is disillusioned by the betrayal of her journalism teacher. Throughout these trials, Sydney draws on the support of her family, her tremendous inner resources, and her clear knowledge of right and wrong. She is intelligent, caring, strong, and almost invincible--thus the story comes to a satisfying conclusion. 1995, Farrar Straus Giroux, Ages 12 up, $14.00. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-374-37365-5
What About Me?
Colby Rodowsky
Rodowsky creates believable characters that give the reader a lot to think about. In What About Me?, Dorrie is a teenager whose brother is mentally retarded. She is resentful of the attention he gets from their parents, and is constantly embarrassed by his actions. It is easy to empathize with Dorrie's roller coaster emotions--one day hating her brother and parents, and the next trying to love them all. Nobody's perfect, least of all Dorrie, but she is a real person and her story pulls on the reader's emotions.: 1989 (orig. 1976), Farrar Straus Giroux, Ages 10 up, $?? and $3.50. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
ISBN: 0-531-01209-3
ISBN: 0-374-48316-7
Added 1999
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