#23 Silent Movie

Silent Movie
Author: Avi
Illustrator: C.B. Mordan
Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books, 2003
64 Pages

Historical Fiction

I chose this book because silent movies have always been interesting to me. I have, however, only seen them depicted in other movies. I think that it would take much more imagination and immense concentration to truly understand the storyline of a silent movie. It makes me want to find one and view it, myself.
Gustave and his family wnt to move to America from Sweden. His father traveled to America first, leaving Gustave and his mother behind. About six months later, Gustave and his mother took their trip to join Father. In the midst of the crowd at the harbour, Gustave and his mother became lost and were not able to connect with his father. They were forced to make their way through New York alone as lost immigrants. A movie producer spotted Gustave and gave him a job as a child actor. This was the only way for them to survive for a while. Finally, one day Gustave's father decided to see a movie and realized that his son was actually in the production. He found his family and they finally realized their dreams. They were now Americans.
The illustrations are awesome for this book. Looking through the book is somewhat like watching a silent movie.  The picutres are dark and the book has very little words; just enough words to convey the small point that the author is trying to get across to the reader. There are small pictures that seem to create movement throughout the book.
I think that this book would appeal to children of various ages. It would paint a picture that most of them have never seen before.
I would pull this book out in a history class while talking about the early 1900s, when so many immigrants were coming to become U.S. Citizens. This would be a great example while explaining how our country became a great melting pot of different cultures.