Masks

Masks

When his older brother, Will, is unexpectedly and suddenly paralyzed with Guillain-Barre+a7 syndrome, Pete uses his imagination and the power of his anthropologist father's tribal masks to help his brother. From School Library Journal Grade 4-7?The two brothers in this novel are opposites. Will is athletic, cocky, and popular; Pete is shy, withdrawn, and intense. All of this changes when Will begins suffering from weakness and paralysis. He is diagnosed with having Guillain-Barre syndrome and becomes steadily worse, a prisoner in his own body. In desperation, Pete decides to resurrect a childhood game in which the boys used their father's collection of masks to become the animals represented. What Pete does not remember is that the game was forbidden when it became all too real and their parents found the boys locked in mortal combat as the Lion and Hyena. By taking Will various masks, Pete is able to temporarily free him from his body's current limitations. There is eventually a happy ending, with Will taking a turn for the better and the question of whether or not the brothers were participating in a rich fantasy or dealing with real magic still ambiguous. The characters are nicely drawn. Pete's initial anger and then graceful acceptance of the situation is believable. Much of the book consists of interior monologues, from both Pete and Will, which seem a bit stilted. However, the plot is well shaped and though it doesn't result in a gripping tale, the balance between the fantasy of the masks and the reality of Will's ailment, which is mirrored in the concerns (or lack thereof) over his spiritual and physical health, creates a story of quiet power. A promising debut.?Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GACopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.