Spain
142
Blanco,
Riki (text/illus.)
Cuentos pulga (Flea tales)
Barcelona
: Thule Ed.,
2006. – [44] p.
(Trampantojo)
ISBN 84-96473-44-9
Circus
A
circus-setting offers a lot of space for fantastic events. »Cuentos pulga«
is a collection of 14 ultra-short stories, each one about one member of a very
special group of circus performers such as trapeze artist Regina, who is not
afraid of heights but rather of the floor, or snake woman Elena, who
disappears forever into her own navel. With a lot of creative energy, the
author has developed these witty and absurd tales from the characteristics of
the various circus professions. The full-page illustrations are mainly
rendered in shades of red and brown. Thanks to their depiction of strong
gestures and distinct forms, they perfectly mirror the exaggeration of this
weird world. The beautiful typography skilfully com-plements both content and
pictures. (5+)
143
Carreras de Sosa, Lydia (text)
Zabala, Javier (illus.)
Las cosas perdidas (The lost things)
Zaragoza : Edelvives,
2006. – 115 p.
(Ala delta : Serie verde; 58)
ISBN 978-84-263-6198-1
Kleptomania – Friendship – Embarrassment
Tami
discovers that Uncle Daniel, a close family friend, is a compulsive thief who
steals regularly. For the boy, this discovery is a huge shock. Torn between
anger, embarrassment, and helplessness, Tami seeks help in order to cope with
this situation. Kleptomania is a fairly unusual topic for a children’s book.
Therefore, it’s all the more remarkable how sensitively and comprehensibly
the author points out that kleptomania is a serious illness. In a
psychologically refined and meticulously observed way, she describes the
reactions and emotions of all the people involved. Both children and adults
are confused and disappointed, they remain silent about the problem or try to
deny it, and they are worried about their friend. This deliberately
unspectacular book is well worth reading. (7+)
144
García-Clairac, Santiago
El reino de los sueños (The kingdom of dreams)
Madrid : Ed. SM, 2006. – 636 p.
(El ejército negro; 1)
ISBN 84-675-1153-2
The Middle Ages – Alchemy – Magic – Immortality – Philosopher’s stone – Parallel world – Library – Archaeology
This
voluminous first volume of a fantasy trilogy tells two parallel tales that
focus on the search for the philosopher’s stone and on people’s longing
for immortality. Both plots – one of which is set in the 10th century, the
other one in the present – are connected by their main protagonists: the
alchemist’s assistant Arturo Adragón, who later becomes a knight, and a
modern-day boy of the same name, whose father owns an archive of precious
historical manuscripts. Step by step, the two narrative threads are woven into
a refined, mysterious web that prepares the ground for further adventures in
the book’s sequels. This cleverly constructed, thrilling imaginative novel
features numerous interesting characters, places, and plot strands.
(12+)
145
Lalana, Fernando
La tuneladora (The tunnel boring machine)
Barcelona : Ed. Bambú,
2006. – 209 p.
ISBN 84-8343-006-1
(Bambú : Exit)
Tunnel – Attempted murder – Detective
This
detective novel perfectly illustrates that the border between teenage- and
adult literature is becoming increasingly difficult to define. It is unusual
however, that not a single young character appears in the whole story. The
protagonist Fermín Escartín – a private detective and former university
professor in Zaragoza – is hired to search for an engineer working in the
construction of underground train tunnels who has disappeared without a trace.
The detective’s in-vestigations lead the readers deep below the city.
Fernando Lalana, a successful and award-winning author of teenage novels, has
constructed a gripping plot. With a lot of wit and unusual ideas, he captures
his readers right until the end. (14+)
146
Neruda, Pablo (text)
Ferrer, Isidro (illus.)
Libro de las preguntas : un poema (The book of questions : a poem)
Valencia : Media Vaca, 2006. – [ca. 180] p.
(Libros para niños; 14)
ISBN 84-934038-7-3
Philosophy – Reflection – Question
Is
it true that amber contains the tears of sirens? Why do poor people forget
what poverty is like as soon as they are no longer poor? In his book,
originally published in 1974, the Chilean Nobel prize winner strings together
innumerable questions, including simple, complex, political, philosophical,
witty, and metaphorical ones, to create a text resembling a long poem. Just
like a lyrical monologue, the text doesn’t provide any answers but rather
invites the readers to look for them themselves. Isidro Ferrer’s
black-and-white illustrations don’t offer explanations either. Like on a
stage, the artist produces a mysterious visual tale by putting together
photographs, objects, and drawings. Doors, locks, stairs, and labyrinths hint
at the unsolved mysteries of our world. (8+)
147
Nesquens, Daniel (text)
Arguilé, Elisa (illus.)
Mi familia (My family)
Madrid : Anaya, 2006. – 197 p.
ISBN 84-667-4718-4
Family
With
»Mi familia«, Daniel Nesquens and Elisa Arguilé, who have already worked
together several times, present their most original book to date.In
Nesquens’s stories, family – an inexhaustible topic – is a bizarre
cabinet of curiosities of very peculiar, both ordinary and weird, characters.
The author portrays the dear relatives with all their idiosyncrasies in a
witty and ironical way. Nevertheless, the descriptions are never defamatory
because they always point out people’s humane side. Elisa Arguilé has
translated the characters into brilliant illustrations. Her collage portraits
in black-white-and-red show imperfect, deformed people who breathe
individuality and self-confidence. (14+)
148
Roncagliolo, Santiago (text)
Wensell, Ulises (illus.)
Matías y los imposibles (Matías and the Impossibles)
Madrid : Ed. Siruela, 2006. – 111 p.
(Las tres edades; 136)
ISBN 84-7844-988-4
Grandfather – Grandson – Outsider –Death – Storytelling – Imagination
Matías is constantly teased and bullied. The only person who loves and understands the orphan boy (and tells him wonderful stories) is his grandfather with whom he lives. When the old man dies, Matías tries to escape his grief and loneliness by hiding in the wardrobe. Quite unexpectedly, characters from his favourite stories start knocking at the wardrobe door and take the boy on an adventure in which the line between reality and the imagined world becomes blurred and eventually disappears completely. Matías’s story, which offers child readers a lot of room for identification, is not only told in a gripping and amusing way; it also shows, in a sophisticated manner, the possibilities that people have for creating new worlds for themselves. (8+)