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WINTER
2000 
Gloria Horvay
Clerk, Salem Quarterly MeetingDear Friends,
One of the joys of my job as an elementary school librarian is sharing good books with children. I am fortunate to have small book discussion groups with children who are excited about reading good books.
The sixth grade group’s favorite book so far this year is Holes, by Louis Sachar, a recent Newbery Award winner. As I reflected on this book and the children’s reaction to it, I felt “grace” was a good description of how the main character’s problems are resolved. By “grace,” I mean God’s love and forgiveness. The story has flashbacks to events that happened to Sydney’s grandfathers, which seem to have put a curse on the family. Through a series of seemingly unconnected events, and without knowing he is doing it, Sydney breaks the curse. This book has positive role models for race relations.
The book we’re currently reading is Perloo, by Avi. I was quite taken by the way this book deals with the personalities of people who cause wars and people who strive to keep the peace. It is written as a fantasy with the characters being animals. The story shows children the value of living in a free country versus being ruled by a dictator who wages war to show his power. This theme helps our children understand the Quaker peace testimony.
In keeping with this peace testimony, my meeting has once again decided to host a toy gun exchange for the holidays. It will take place December 3rd at Mickleton Meeting from 11:00 to 1:00. Refreshments and caroling are also happening at that time. So if any of your children have a gun they would like to symbolically give up in trade for a new toy, please come.
Both Holes and Perloo are satisfying stories because they have a main character who becomes a hero by chance, rather than by choice. The same is true of the Harry Potter books and their author, J.K. Rowling. Rowling did not set out to write a children’s fantasy series. An image of Harry popped into her mind as she rode a train between Manchester and London, staring at a field of cows. She had a physical reaction to the idea—a huge rush of adrenaline. This sounds like what we may experience before we speak in meeting, or it may even be a leading or a calling. The result of her calling has been that children are reading more than ever before. I love the cartoon where the little boy is telling his dad to turn off the TV and read a book. If you haven’t tried Harry Potter yet, treat yourself this holiday.
I look forward to seeing you at Salem on December 10, when we break into small groups to look at the roles the Oversight Committees play in our meetings.
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Last modified:
Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:19 AM
