No, I haven't abandoned my Newbery challenge! Although at times it does look rather bleak. November was one of those months. Queer Person was the selection and I knew by the title that it was going to be a slog - a dated, out of touch with modern sensibilities mess - I just didn't know *how* bad it was going to be. It started off okay by introducing the reader to two fairly interesting characters - the titular 'Queer Person', a deaf-mute Indian boy and his self-appointed caregiver, an old hermit woman simply called 'Granny'. Both are outcasts for a variety of reasons. Tribe members believe the boy is posessed by evil spirits due to his disabilities and the old woman has been living on the fringes of tribal life since the loss of her husband and sons. A promising set-up....but one that ultimately didn't deliver. It really was a convoluted, trite, racist mess from start to finish. Only recommended for those with an interest in tracking racist attitudes in children's literature. Blah! (Thankfully, the following selection was *much* better - stay tuned!)
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