John's prize-winning essay gets him six days at Space Camp with Wishbone who, on the first day there, imagines himself as the hero of Jack Williamson's novel, The legion of space, who is on a thirty-first century outer space rescue mission.
Pilar's mother has been extra vigilant about her fifteen-year-old daughter's diet after she came home from school in tears. The truth is, Pilar wouldn't mind losing some weight. She dreams of becoming an actor and wants to try out for the school production of "Our Town," but she's reminded constantly that she's too ugly, too fat, too Mexican. With the encouragement of some new friends and her feisty grandmother who thinks she's perfect just the way she is, Pilar works up the nerve to try out for the play--in spite of continued harassment by Becca Barlowe and her posse. But when a handsome high school jock plays a mean trick on her that becomes a social media sensation, Pilar once again finds herself using food to anesthetize her pain. This appealing novel for mature teens juxtaposes Pilar's story with her grandmother's when she was married to a male chauvinist years earlier in Laredo, Texas. Both women must struggle to find their own voice in a world where others insist on defining them as "less than." Capturing the heartache of seeking--and accepting--one's true self, Anna Garcia Schaper movingly explores the strength of family bonds and their importance in overcoming difficult and sometimes tragic circumstances.
Jarmon (English, U. of Tennessee, Martin) studies the history and attempts to trace the origins of several prevalent themes in African American folklore, using folk tale collections from the US and Africa. The themes link subjects with symbolic content, such as tar baby with binding and transcription and the skull with presence and propriety. An introduction presents Jarmon's methodology; her thesis is that these narratives are a type of modal discourse that is symbolized by the motifs of the wishbone and crossroads which she sees as emblematic of the concept of margins and reflective of a mood of indeterminacy. ^^^^ Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).
When David enlists Joe's aid in babysitting, Wishbone escapes from his noisy home and imagines himself as Charles Darnay, a young Frenchman who, despite great danger, returns to France during the Revolution to help a friend.
As Wishbone and his friends look for a treasure in the Trumbull barn, he imagines himself as young Jim Hawkins who acquires a treasure map and is involved with dangerous pirates.