The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall

Shelley Pearsall’s The Seventh Most Important Thing sneaks up on you. What starts out as a story about a 7^th grade boy who is assigned by a judge to help the local junk man turns out to be a story with themes as profound as redemption. It also approaches the topic of outsider art, which is unusual for children’s fiction, and subtly suggests the existence of fine lines between mental illness, creativity and spiritual inspiration. Then, just as the reader has settled into this quasi-philosophical realm, he is shifted back into the world of realistic fiction, with a protagonist who has matured, and whose family situation has improved.

Arthur Owens’ father has recently died in a motorcycle accident. Spotting the elderly neighborhood junk man wearing his father’s hat, Arthur takes out his anger with the world on the man by throwing a brick at him. Hearing about the boy’s motivation, the junk man, whose name is James Hampton, convinces the juvenile court judge to assign Arthur the task of helping him in his junk collection, instead of a more traditional disciplinary choice. It turns out that James Hampton is collecting very specific types of junk, the seven most important things referred to in the title, some of which go on to hold symbolic meaning for Arthur. Arthur eventually discovers that the junk man is using these seven things to assemble a work of art entitled The Throne of the Third Heaven, in a rented garage. This part of the story is based on a real artist of the same name, whose masterpiece is now housed in Washington, D.C. at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Arthur’s nerdy sidekick, Reginald, and probation Officer Billie are likeable seconday characters.

This book will appeal to a wide audience of children and younger teens who enjoy realistic fiction and stories of friendship, including those featuring male characters such as Rebecca Stead’s Liar and Spy.  It will also appeal to readers of books with a mild fantasy element such as Wendy Mass’ series that began with Eleven Birthdays. The plotline and theme of redemption bears strong similarity to Neal Shusterman’s young adult novel, The Schwa Was Here. Recommended. 2015

D. Rosen-Perez

The Man with the Violin, by Kathy Stinson, illustrated by Dušan Petričić

The Man with the Violin

“Stop and smell the roses”, the old adage says, but how about “stop and hear the music?” This new picture book by Kathy Stinson, with illustrations by Dušan Petričić provides an account of an event that took place during rush hour in a Washington D.C. metro station six years ago. One January morning, renowned violinist Joshua Bell, incognito in jeans, long sleeved T-shirt, and baseball cap,  set himself up in the station and commenced playing six classical pieces on a Stradivarius. All in all, only seven people stopped to listen. According to Bell there were many children who attempted to stop, but were rushed along by their parents. After forty-three minutes of playing, the violinist, who typically plays to sold-out concert halls, had collected a meager $32.17 in his open violin case. 

Petričić’s fanciful drawings are mainly in black and white but contain splashes of color that highlight the young protagonist’s experience with the music and convey the sensation of being hurried through the station. These illustrations are more successful than the text in retelling the anecdote from a child’s perspective. Adults might receive the book as an admonishment or as a criticism of harried lives that don’t allow for a moment’s pause to perceive beauty. They might suffer second-hand embarrassment on behalf of the masses of commuters who did not recognize greatness as they rushed to catch their trains. Children, however, will likely enjoy the illustrations, and share the initial curiosity and eventual joy of young Dylan in realizing that he was right in wanting to stop and listen. 2013.

Here is Joshua Bell and a chamber group performing Haydn’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in C Major:

Enjoy!

D. Rosen-Perez