Round 1, Match 1: As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth vs. The Card Turner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker
March 14, 2011 |
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| As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins Green Willow Books/HarperCollins |
The Card Turner by Louis Sachar Delacorte Books/Random House |
Judged by
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Suppose you want to torture me, what do you do? You give me two excellent books and you ask me to pick one. What criteria should I use? “Pick the one that was most fun to read,” says a voice. “Impossible”, says another. They were both fun in different ways. Suppose you’re sixteen-years-old and you get to spend a day at the beach with the girl you’ve had a crush on for a year. That’s like the kind of fun you have when you read As Easy as Falling of the Face of the Earth by Lynn Rae Perkins. Suppose you’re an astronomer and on a clear night you see a star you’ve never seen before. That’s like the kind of fun you have when you read The Cardturner by Louis Sachar.
So if “fun” is an impossible criteria, how about plot? This too is impossible. I lost (and found) myself in both books. I couldn’t put the books down. In each case, I was hooked from the first line. In As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth, sixteen-year-old Ry is on his way to summer camp when he finds out camp is canceled and the train he’s on takes off without him and he’s stranded in the middle of Montana. He needs to get back to his home in Wisconsin where his grandfather is house and dog sitting while his parents are vacationing in the Caribbean. He walks to the nearest town where he meets Del, a man capable of fixing just about anything. Together they drive, fly and boat in search of Ry’s grandfather and parents. The plot is a series of exciting adventures encountered by Ry and Del. The suspense of each happening propels us roller-coaster-like forward and upwards, downwards and around. We hold our breath with each plunge.
In The Cardturner, seventeen-year-old Alton is asked to be the eyes for his blind, bridge-playing uncle. Uncle Lester is rich and in poor health and Alton’s parents have an eye on a future inheritance. But Uncle Lester already has a young protégé – the beautiful Toni for whom Alton readily falls. We turn the pages quickly. Will Alton fall in love with bridge? Can the pair of Uncle Lester and Alton conquer the various bridge tournaments they enter? Will Alton win Toni’s heart despite the fact that she favors Alton’s best friend? Then there is Uncle Lester’s mysterious past and many other twists, I can’t divulge because I don’t want to ruin this book for you.
How about that ineffable thing called style? As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth comes close to poetry at times. It has these lulling rhythms, these vivid images, and most of all this sense of warm humor. Now and then the narrator winks at you like an old friend. I feel at home in the book, a friendly voice reaches out to me and brings me to its fold. How wonderful for Lynne Rae Perkins to write so simply yet so evocatively. The book enveloped me with its ease.
Precise, lucid. These are the words that come to mind when I think of The Cardturner’s style. No metaphors or similes, the writing clear as water. The first person narration is totally in sync with Alton’s voice, with his character. Style here hides itself so that story alone will shine.
If not style, then what about courage? Yes, courage exists in books. And one can sometimes gauge the book’s worth by its fortitude. Lynne Rae Perkins’ courage is in daring to write a book with so much goodness, with heroes young and old and truths that we can live by. Louis Sachar’s courage is in daring to write a love story about the intellect, about bridge, and pulling it off. His courage is in writing a book with a philosophical bent that can be read on various levels.
So what criteria do I have to judge? Which book is more complete? Both. Which did I learn the most from? Both, in different ways. Which book touched me the most?
Both, in many ways. Which book will be around five years from now? Both. “But Francisco, you have to pick one,” says the voice (louder this time).
Alas, so I must. I pick The Cardturner. For its elegant, readable, complexity.
– Francisco X. Stork
And the Winner of our first match is…
… THE CARDTURNER
This is torture, huh? Try reading about Marcelo navigating the ethical minefield of the Real World or a pair of Death Warriors, one with a personal vendetta, the other with a terminal illness. So, I’m happy to return the favor by having Francisco judge one of the more difficult match-ups in the first round. Unlike Criss Cross, plenty of stuff happens in As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth. We don’t read Perkins for plot anyway, but rather for her wonderful sense of humor, her delightful language, and her keen insight into the alien landscape of the teenage mind. Sachar, on the other hand, made quite a name for himself with the sophisticated plotting of Holes and he returns to that strength here in The Cardturner, although I did feel like something was off about the resolution. One thing we can all probably agree on, however: neither author writes fast enough!
— Commentator Jonathan Hunt
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The tragedy here as I see it, is that Mr. Stork will now have his own writing interrupted on a daily basis. Authors from all over the YA world will be banging on his door, demanding that he give their own works the same loving, and lyrical analysis as we just read above.
Mr. Stork, thank you for allowing me to relieve the reasons why I loved both of these books. Thank you for reminding me of the fun and surprise I found within the pages of each. (Although I’m still striving to forget a misguided attempt to play a game of on-line bridge after completing THE CARDTURNER.) The summer day and astronomy analogies are perfect. I could not have chosen between these two and will find no fault in your choice.
And thank you from the bottom of my tender little heart for writing a book as beautiful as Marcelo.
Ohhh, the pain! This was one of the few match-ups where I liked both contenders equally. Tip of the hat to you, Mr. Stork.
And DaNae, perhaps we should get together for Kidlit Bridge Night one of these days.
Ohhh, this is going to be so good!
Just as I hoped, Mr. Stork’s analysis of these books shows his own brilliance as a writer. He made me want to read AS EASY, even though he didn’t pick it. And he reminded me of why I love THE CARDTURNER so much.
And I’m so happy THE CARDTURNER is moving on to the next round! It seems especially appropriate on Pi Day, since mathematical brains love that book.
Kidlit Bridge Night… what a great idea! :)
Well, I picked AS EASY AS FALLING OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH to go a few rounds, but I could care less. I just want to go read THE CARDTURNER now!
Simply brilliant explanation. I have been awaiting eagerly for the first round, and it is finally here. But, Round 2 will be much more difficult. Loving both Countdown and Conspiracy, it will be difficult for me to handle the loss of one truly outstanding book.
Yes! Finally The Cardturner has received some much warranted love and recognition!! I totally adored both books but CT was my pick!
http://www.thebrainlair.com/2011/02/2011-battle-of-kids-books-round-1.html
Writing up tomorrow’s battle right now! Ok, not right now but right after this!
I’ve not read either of these books, but I was gambling on The Cardturner, and it’s atop my TBR pile. Now I can commence with reading. Round Two–I’ll be ready for you.
I have so wanted Cardturner to get its deserved love this year. I treasured the book….try listening to it read by Sachar…such an added treat!
What a wonderful analysis of both books! I am so happy that Cardturner made it to round 2! Looking forward to Match 2 tomorrow.
I am glad CARDTURNER made it! What a great writeup, too.
Sigh. I’m 0 for 2, too. And I didn’t even have hopes for this one, because I saw the Round 2, Match 1 post when it was briefly up and so knew who had moved on.
I’m excited, however, to read Countdown! I love this competition for its literate, persuasive arguments that get me to read books I’d otherwise pass by.
For those of you trying to read all the great books in the competition and are behind (like me), it’s not too late. I picked my personal winner today before finding out the true winner (didn’t want my judgment to be swayed, and all that). I read both of these wonderful books back-to-back and finished yesterday. All day I contemplated who I would vote for if I were judge. I found myself sort of, “Which is better: homemade apple pie or chocolate chip cookies?” Crust = buttery comfort, but warm chocolate = luscious joy. These two books are like that. Perkins is a witty writer who takes risks. Just check out some of her made-up words and lengthy but successful passages of inner dialogue in this novel or the format change-ups in her book CRISS CROSS. She’s also an illustrator, so double-threat there. The advantage allows her visual humor opps like the ones she takes with the comics of Ry’s dogs. Even without the power of visuals, Perkins knows how to create believable, individual (and likeable) people. She takes care not to buy generic when she goes for side characters. Think of Del’s employees. They feature in only a few chapters, but each of them is distinct. As for the story itself, it’s a coming-of-age tale with a bit of a love story. Perkins has this subtlety to her writing—leaving room for interpretations of scenes, suggesting alternative characters’ motives—that I prefer rather than the sort of caveman-club bluntness out there. So, if I adore this novel like I do, why did I chose Sachar’s THE CARDTURNER as my winner? Strangely enough, for some of the very same reasons I like Perkins’ work. I like risk-taking, first of all. A YA book with the game of bridge as part of the premise? Wowzers. Sachar never lets bridge overtake the book, though. He even gives readers a way to skip the game-heavy portions if they want to. Now, a bit about Alton, the protagonist. In the first few chapters, I couldn’t shake my dislike for the unabashed materialism of his family. However, Sachar successfully changed my mind about Alton as the story progressed (sorry, still not a fan of Mom and Dad). Alton’s bond with his sister, and even the unhealthy relationship with his shady best friend, show Alton’s a nice, loyal kind of guy. When he falls for Toni, I doubt I’m the only reader who turned pages muttering, “Dump the friend, and go get the girl!” Even more telling of Alton’s personality is that he gets to know, and eventually care for, his complicated uncle. The link between Alton’s future and his uncle’s past is what sold me on the novel. Things are not what they seem to be. Without giving the ending away, I can only say THE CARDTURNER reminded me of a funny quality about love: it can’t change the past, but it always gives hope for the future. Congratulations to both Mr. Sachar and Ms. Perkins, for two very different but wonderful books!