Julia and the Art of Practical Travel

Reviewed by: Phyllis Fuchs - Curtis Memorial LIbrary, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 18, 2015

Review

As it begins, this story about eleven year old Julia's trip across America with her aunt seems fresh and engaging. While Julia's aunt drives, it is her niece's voice that narrates just as it is photos from Julia's Brownie camera that illustrate the pages. Greenwich Village, New Orleans, a Texas cattle ranch and San Francisco are all stops along the way from New York and readers do get to meet colorful characters and get a sense of distinct geographical regions. However, readers also are confronted with phrases and with words such as "a badly mixed, too strong gin and tonic", voodoo and "hippie people" all treated stereotypically and making a frequently entertaining story seem inappropriate for the middle grade school audience of about nine through twelve years it is aimed. More disturbing are serious topics such as racial segregation in the south and Julia's mother's abandonment of her daughter being introduced only to be dismissed without any real comment. It is for these reasons that this initially promising, if also improbable story cannot be recommended by this reviewer at least for the young readers it was intended.

Overall Book Score: fair