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Book Reviews
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| ISBN: 0140366504
Written: Monday June 8, 2009 - 6:07 PM
Author: Salmon Rushdie
Category: Young Adult
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Haroun and the Sea of Stories | By: M. T. Dremer
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| Generally when someone thinks “international children’s literature” they either think of a picture book or a book on a culture they know nothing about. Interestingly enough, readers would be able to pick up international literature without much difficulty if the translations were more readily available. It seems that right now the extent of foreign books in America is Harry Potter and that book is already in English. Haroun and the Sea of Stories stands as a brilliant representation of why we should import more literature.
The story was written with Salmon Rushdie’s son in mind, yet it isn’t so directed that we can’t relate to Haroun just as easily. It mirrors many familiar children’s novels that start with an overly sad situation that requires magical solutions to fix. It reminds me of other children’s novels where the parents or authority figures are so nastily mean that you route for the children out of sheer spite for the villain. That isn’t to say that the parents are mean in this story, but the mental picture of the sad city and the sadness factories are enough to create a high desire in the reader, to see something happy happen. Shortly after the story begins we find Haroun taken to the moon Kahani where there is a literal ocean of stories, each one at a different point in its narrative. He then discovers that the City of Chup is in turmoil because of the poisoned ocean by Khattam-Shud, the leader of the dark side of the moon.
The setup may sound strange, and the foreign names may be off putting to some people, but the story is a delightful tale that exceeds the quality of many American children’s novels. I found myself riveted by the colorful characters and the world so simply described yet richly detailed. I wanted this story to be the first in a series rather than the only one of its kind.
It’s true that you’ll probably be able to find adult references in the story, as well as political commentary, but the story can be enjoyed regardless of how deeply you delve into the text. My only concern came in the form of a few questionable choices in the ending. I won’t spoil anything for would-be readers, but I felt that a few of the ending scenes would have been more powerful if they’d been rearranged and some of the character relationships had been more fleshed out.
In the end this is a powerful little novel that shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone who loves children’s literature.
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