Medina, Meg The Girl who could Silence the Wind 256 pgs. Candlewick, 2012. $13.57. (Rating: PG13 –Gore, groping)
For all her 16 years Sonia is known for her protective powers. Despite the faith of the villagers, she knows she is just a normal person. When given the opportunity to have a city job, she takes the chance –even if it means leaving behind her impetuous brother and a very special friend. Her new life is restrictive, but she when she finds out her brother has gone missing, Sonia will stop at nothing to find him.
I am pretty sure the intent of this slow moving story is for Sonia to build some confidence and find her own magic. But it was just a flop for me. I couldn’t figure out if there was a real cultural basis or it was just made up. The motivations for the majority of the characters were murky at best. For example Sonia’s brother - he wanted to earn more money –but his timing made no sense. If he had waited just a few months, Sonia could have sent him money for a car –no need to run away on foot through bandit country! Confused. The whole book sort of orbits around her brother really, Sonia takes a boring second –I don’t see her evolving much as a character. If there was more folklore or culture to this book, perhaps tying it to an actual real world culture –I might have found something to hold onto, but this story just wasn’t enough.
HS -ADVISABLE Reviewer: Stephanie School Librarian & Author.
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