Noonie's Masterpiece

April 19, 2010
“Dear Art and History People,” begins this debut narrated by arty fourth-grader Noonie. “You should definitely take a whole lot of notes because in a hundred years people will want to know everything about me.” After a while, readers may find this swaggering tone tiresome (“I'm not sure if anyone really understood my brilliant work, but that's how the masses are”), but they will learn that it masks sadness and insecurity. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousin, Noonie misses her deceased mother and her father, a world-traveling archeologist. Frieden (The Care and Feeding of Fish
) captures Noonie's careening emotions in quirky doodles (Noonie's beloved art teacher, Ms. Lilly, wears a fantastical garden for a hat, and a chapter on artist's block begins with an ominous brick wall). With the help of Ms. Lilly, the eye-opening results of an art contest, and a humorous pep talk by Van Gogh and other masters, Noonie comes to accept both her eccentricity and her loving, if not ideal, family. Readers with similar worries may find this a rewarding, if not masterful, pep talk as well. Ages 9–12.

July 1, 2010
Gr 4–6—-oonie Norton, 10, considers herself a brilliant but undiscovered artist. Since the death of her artist mother, she lives with her aunt, uncle, and younger cousin, while her archaeologist father travels extensively. The girl is eccentric, donning odd clothes, daydreaming, drawing in class, and spontaneously using her peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to make pictures on the school floor. She goes through blue and purple periods during which everything she wears or paints is in that color. Schoolmates stay away, except for Reno, a clumsy math nerd who idolizes her. Noonie misses her father greatly and writes him letters describing her Blue Flu, Moldy Blue Fever, or Biting Blue Rabies so he will come home, and he corresponds regularly, often sending her gifts he finds on his travels. Railsback's story, originally written as a play, maintains the prominent theme of art serving as therapy. Noonie's beloved "Masterpieces of Art"provides hours of comfort as she imagines her affinity with Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, Vincent Van Gogh, and others. Frieden's ink-and-watercolor illustrations float through the book like the dreamy thoughts of an aspiring young artist. Although a few characters are one-dimensional, Noonie's first-person chat with readers allows myriad emotions, and growth, to shine through. Interesting enough for reluctant readers, this title can be used in a unit on artists, but it also paints a lovely, quirky portrait as a stand-alone.—"D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2010
Grades 3-5 Fourth-grader Noonie Norton, a self-described brilliant artist, is just moving from her blue period (which began after her mothers death, four years ago) to her purple period. While her archaeologist father travels the world, she lives with Aunt Sylvia, Uncle Ralph, and cousin Junior. Navigating her fourth-grade year with help from her loyal friend Reno and her art teacher, Noonie struggles to deal with math, her imperfect family, and her too-perfect classmate Sue Ann. The school art contest becomes a catalyst for change, shifting Noonies views on the people in her life and moving her art into a happier, polka-dot period. Noonie may be an unreliable and even unlikable narrator at times, but her pain and vulnerability are as evident as her belief in herself as an artist, and by the end of the story, shell have readers in her corner. The ink-and-watercolor illustrations, appearing throughout the book, have a 1960s-retro look. Originally written and performed as a play, this is Railsbacks first novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
Noonie is an exuberant ten-year-old who feels lonely following her mother's death and her archaeologist father's absence. Relating to other tortured artists--van Gogh, Kahlo, O'Keeffe, etc.--she indulges in attention-grabbing, stereotypical artist fantasies. Noonie's insights about herself occasionally sound too mature for her years, but she is a sympathetic character. The pages are splashed with colorful pen, ink, and watercolor drawings.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)