Title: Angel Square Author: Brian Doyle
Publish Date: September 2004
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Pages: 144pp
ISBN: 0888996098
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Historical Fiction/Realistic Fiction
Annotation: It’s 1945 in Ottawa. Tommy, AKA the Shadow, and a couple of his friends, Killer Bodnoff and CoCo Laframboise, are trying to figure out who attacked their friend, Sammy’s father who is Jewish.
Plot Summary: The year is 1945 and in Ottawa’s Lowertown, religion matters. Tommy, “the Shadow,” is best friends with Sammy, a Jewish boy. When Sammy’s father is assaulted, he is sent to Toronto to be hospitalized, taking Sammy with him till he recovers. This sets Tommy into detective mode to find out who assaulted Sammy’s father. To help the investigation, Tommy relies on two friends Killer Bodnoff and CoCo Laframboise. Tommy feels that if he finds the assailant, Sammy’s father will heal, thus bringing Sammy back to Ottawa. This also give’s Tommy a chance to impress Margot Lane, the girl of his dreams.
Personal Response: A heartbreaking story told with humor and intrigue. I felt the violence of the religious warfare (set back in the 1940s) to be somewhat realistic and the message of tolerance to be apparent. Tommy is the books hero and is very likable, and to some extent relatable. Overall, I felt the story to be a sweet tale.
~Reader’s Advisory~
Themes: Tolerance
Age Range: 9 through 13
Subjects: Mystery, Jewish, Bigotry, Friendship, Christmas, Prejudice, Detective, Mentally Handicap, Humorous, Relationships, Family Relationships, Hate Crime, Love, Victims, Religion, Catholic, Protestant, Tolerance, Historical
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