Paintings from the Cave: Three Novellas

by Gary Paulsen

Overview

Jake, Jojo, and Jamie, all 12-year-olds. Jake  lives in a neighborhood controlled by violence and fear. He meets a sculptor across the street, and his eyes are opened to another world. Jojo is closer to her three dogs than to her foster family. When Jojo tries to help another girl who needs a friend, the dogs know what to do. Jamie and his older brother, Eric, are alone in the world, but Jamie's way with art and dogs helps them find a home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553494662
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	09/11/2012
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	279,436
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	880L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

GARY PAULSEN is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people. His most recent books are Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Lawn Boy Returns; Woods Runner; Notes from the Dog; Mudshark; Lawn Boy; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; The Time Hackers; and The Amazing Life of Birds (The Twenty-Day Puberty Journal of Duane Homer Leech).

Editorial Reviews

Jake, Jo, and Jamie are three twelve-year-olds that do not know each other, but have something in common. They all lived with abusive or non-caring parents and have to fend for themselves. Their stories are told through three novellas. Jake's world is surrounded by drugs and bullies. He and his friend, Layla, hide from the local bully, Blade, who has a way of making people do what he wants. While in his safe-place in a rat infested basement, Jake discovers Bill, who lives across the alley where the world is good and safe. He is befriended by the sculptor, who teaches Jake how to pour his penned up emotions into the art of sculpting. Things are great until one of Blade's henchmen finds Layla. Jo's story is similar, but different. Being alone, she has no friends until she helps three homeless dogs named Mike, Carter, and Betty. She spends all her time getting to know her dogs, loving and playing with them while escaping her abusive parents. One day she meets another lonely girl named Rose. Their common love for dogs builds a friendship. However, a terrible disease threatens the relationship and security the girls share. Jamie has a loving older brother, Erik, who takes care of him. Both boys are constantly moving because they have no permanent place to live. Jamie draws very well and meets Greg, who wants to buy his art. This new friendship opens opportunities for Jamie and Erik that help their homeless situation. The author has done a fantastic work developing these three novellas making the characters so realistic that they become heart-felt and gut-wrenching as the reader learns about their circumstances, cheering for their situations to be better. This eye-opening book could be used in classrooms to help teach diversity. Reviewer: Cathi I. White

Children's Literature - Cathi I. White

Gr 5–9—Inspired by the author's own troubled childhood, these novellas portray an unflinching look at children who have endured neglectful and abusive homes and are surviving on their own. The atmospheric first tale, "Man of the Iron Heads," is narrated by Jake, a boy of about 11, who hides from the local gang until he finds the courage to outsmart its violent leader. "Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Girl" presents a lonely girl with three adopted dogs who finds acceptance in befriending a girl with leukemia. Finally, "Erik's Rules" celebrates the power of art and is told by Jamie, the younger of two homeless brothers, whose unstable existence changes after a chance encounter with a friendly volunteer at the animal shelter. By incorporating the solace found in dogs, art, libraries, and new friends into these tales of heartache and redemption, Paulsen provides his readers with hope of a better life.—Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT

School Library Journal