Diamond Willow

1.BIBLIOGRAPHY
Frost, Helen. 2008. DIAMOND WILLOW. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374317763

2.PLOT SUMMARY

A 12 year-old-girl named Willow had a close dog friend named Roxy. Her father is a science teacher and her mother is of Athabasca descent. The spirits of their ancestors inhabit animals nearby them and protect them. One day she convinced her parents let her go with her dog to mush alone leading three dogs to her grandparents’ house. After a long time to consider the proposition, she started her exploration with three dogs. It was a good journey on the way to her grandparents’ house; however, after she went home, her father’s favorite dog, Roxy, accidentally hurt her eyes. She was so sorry for Roxy and did not know how to face her father with the bad news. She blamed herself and felt so guilty for Roxy. Her parents decided to euthanize Roxy because it cost a lot of money and they could not afford the treatment, besides it could not run and lead sleds again as a leading dog. After Willow heard the decision her parents made, she asked her best friend, Kaylie, if she could bring Roxy to her grandparents’ house for protection. Unfortunately, they encountered a terrible storm and got lost on the way to their destination. They shared a scary long, cold, dark, snowy night out of the house. After the long night, she discovered a family secret that she had a twin sister who died a few days after she was born. In the end, the magical things happened and things turned out much better.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This is one of the best narrative verse novels that I have ever read. Honestly, I was not a fan of poetry and poems; however, I could not stop reading it until I finished because the book was so good. The plot of the verse novel made me fall in love with the story and create a strong version of each plot. The story is so powerful and magical. I could not imagine how much I would enjoy reading novels and poetry. I believe young adults and students will love this book the way that I did. I found several strengths in this book, including the story design, complex points of view, and emotional expressions, as well as one small weakness.

The fiction novel is very concise and well-designed. The story was told in diamond-shaped poems, with a hidden message for the reader printed at the center of each one. Readers can see the words in bold that conveys a secret message that the author gave to the readers of this great story. The special design matches the title of the book, Diamond Willow. Young readers will be attracted by the layout with the diamond designs. The arrangement of lines and verses gave readers a visually vivid mental picture of what a diamond willow would look like and what action could be taken through these images.

The story was narrated from different points of view, including Willow, her ancestors, and the animals. The book was most based on the twelve-year-old Willow's first-person point of view, so the story could convey more of her thoughts and feelings. For instance, on page 105, the bold message said that I (Willow) am actually enjoying this; on page 104, we dream the same dream together; on page 107, Roxy makes me laugh. All of these short messages expressed what she felt and thought. Furthermore, the author also employed some third-person points of view to present the perspective of her spirits and her ancestors themselves. For example, on page 17, from Willow’s great-great-grandfather (Red Fox) John, "Old time, they would not let a girl go off alone like that, and I have been watching him teach Willow how to run the dogs". On page 25, based on her great-great-great grandmother Jean's (Spruce Hen) speech, "But I have seen what is ahead, broken limbs are sticking out all over it. Willow won’t have time to stop her dog". Using these different voices with the special layout and line format, the author gave readers more hints to connect to a broader understanding. Before the accident, readers were alerted that something will happen later.

The emotional expression is so powerful and touches readers. The narration allows readers to strongly feel her love for her dog Roxy, as well as the situation she has been facing. When I read the book, I felt I was in her same shoes because the narrative words appeals to my emotional senses. For instance, on page 26, "I stumble; a branch jobs into my leg. Oww!", it is my own voice I hear, like the fault line of an earthquake, with everything breaking around it. Roxy sticks her face in the snow and the snow turns red. The plot expressed the accident and how hurt she felt. Even though the author did not mention that Roxy got hurt, the snow turning red gave readers a powerful imagery. I would say that the plot is very powerful with high emotional expression. Readers could absolutely feel when Willow began to panic. For example, on page 48, when she and her friend got lost; she said "I am not sure where we are. I don’t know which way to go from here. I taste panic rising in my throat. I swallow it. And then I a spruce then burst out in front of my face". I found the language so gorgeous and the noble expressions in the narrative poem provided a deep imaginative expression of feeling.

The felt that illustrations would have enhanced the story even more, so that is the one weakness I believe would have made the book even better. I enjoyed reading this book; however, I did not understand what a diamond willow stick was or what it looked like when I first read it, so illustrations would have made that clear. After searching on-line and reading further, I got more of an understanding about what the tree would look like. If the book provided some illustrations for young readers, especially those readers who do not have a large vocabulary, such as ESL students and young children, they may love this book and be willing to read it even more.

4.REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
The book earned several honors and awards, including the 2009 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the 2008 Mitten Award--Michigan Library Association, The Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry: 2009 Honor Book, 2009 Winner of Best Books of Indiana, Children and Young Adult Book, and 2009 CCBC Choices List (Helen Frost, 2011).

On the Amazon’s website, Marilyn Taniguchi reviewed that Helen Frost’s poems offer thoughtful imagery and strong emotion. This elegant novel was a powerful drama with multifaceted characters (Amazon, 2011).

Hazel Rochman's review stated that Willow’s bond with Roxy is the heart of the tale, as well as the poems reflect how precious jewels of wisdom can grow around painful scars.

Marcia Calhoun Forecki wrote that Diamond Willow was such a beautiful book. She wanted to share the book with her ESL students (The reading Zone, 2011).

5.CONNECTIONS
I found another book that is also about love and a dog, entitled Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. It is a relative book with a powerful and emotional ending. This book describes the special love for a dog, similar to the love Willow had for Roxy in DIAMOND WILLOW.

Gardiner, John Reynolds. 1992. Stone Fox. New York, Harper Collins. ISBN: 0064401324

References
Amazon. com., accessed March 7, 2011, http://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Willow-Frances-Foster-Books/dp/0374317763

Helen Frost blog, accessed March 7, 2011, http://www.helenfrost.net/item.php?postid=25

The reading Zone, assessed March 7, 2001
http://thereadingzone.wordpress.com/2008/12/23/diamond-willow-by-helen-frost/

The article was created on March. 7, 2011