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February 20, 2008 by Travis Jonker

Book Review: The Mozart Question

February 20, 2008 by Travis Jonker   3 comments

The Mozart Question
By Michael Morpurgo
Illustrated By Michael Foreman
Candlewick Press
ISBN 9780763635527
$15.99
Grades 4-7
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Upon first glance, I didn’t know how to classify this book. Its size – slim and square – is a bit unusual for a book aimed at the upper elementary set. While there are illustrations throughout, this is definitely no graphic novel. From the outside it kind of looks like a mini picture book with extra pages. I had similar trouble predicting the storyline. The cover makes some obvious Holocaust allusions, but the title and illustration underneath it had me perplexed. After reading “The Mozart Question”, however, it all makes sense – Morpurgo and Foreman have created a wonderful mix of characters, storyline, history, and illustration that stands out. The only mystery left for me is how many “best of the year” lists this book will grace.

The tale begins when a newspaper reporter falls into an interview with famous Venetian violinist Paolo Levi. The highly sought-after interview comes with a major stipulation: don’t ask the Mozart question. Through the course of the interview, not only do we discover the meaning of the question, but also the answer. Paolo really lays it all out. He tells an amazing life story, beginning with his early days of learning to play the violin in secret. It turns out that his teacher, a local street musician, shares a pretty big secret of his own with Paolo’s parents. A secret that comes out when Paolo is forced to tell his parents about his musical gift.

“The Mozart Question” delivers on a number of levels. The plot is clever and well-paced, never lingering too long or stalling out on the reader. The outstanding watercolor and pencil pictures provide clarity. The characters are well developed and real. Three for three adds up to a genuine winner around here. Not hard to categorize at all: a must-have middle grade selection.

Also Reviewed By: achukareviews, Bookwitch.

Find this book at your local library with WorldCat

Filed under: *Best New Books*, Reviews

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Camille says

    February 25, 2008 at 12:18 am

    I love Michael Foreman. I am glad to know about this new book.

  2. Scope Notes says

    February 25, 2008 at 6:21 am

    Somehow, I didn’t know a whole lot about him before this book. He’s had quite a career – over 170 books illustrated. I’ll definitely be on the lookout from now on, though!

Trackbacks

  1. Books at Bedtime: flickers of hope says:
    January 11, 2009 at 3:26 pm

    […] can find other reviews of The Mozart Question on 100 Scope Notes, Shelf-Employed and Achukareviews; and one I could really empathise with at Findlay Library […]

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