Reviews for The zebra wall

The average rating for The zebra wall based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-11-29 00:00:00 Maryann Shotts By the time The Zebra Wall was published—Kevin Henkes's third novel—the author had begun refining his style, getting closer to the form he would show two decades later in winning a 2004 Newbery Honor for Olive's Ocean. Ten-year-old Adine Vorlob is the eldest of five platinum-blonde sisters awaiting the arrival of a sixth child in the family. Mrs. Vorlob's sister is temporarily moving in to help care for the newborn, but Adine isn't pleased; Aunt Irene is bossy, and can be insensitive to the girls' feelings. Her husband recently divorced her, though, and Adine's mother believes that Aunt Irene needs them every bit as much as Mrs. Vorlob could use an adult caretaker in addition to Mr. Vorlob. Having Aunt Irene claim Adine's bedroom for an indefinite period of time is a sacrifice, but Adine is willing to make it for her hardworking mother. The baby comes a month premature, but in good health for a preemie. It's a tiny, spindly creature with hardly the strength to cry, but the newborn settles in at home with minimal agitation. Now the task is picking a name in accordance with the Vorlob naming tradition. Adine was born first, followed by now eight-year-old Bernice, seven-year-old Carla, four-year-old Dot, and two-year-old Effie. The next in succession must have a name beginning with F, though completing the alphabet is unlikely for a mother whose pregnancies are already ending before the due date. The Vorlobs and Aunt Irene brainstorm a flurry of "F" names, but the momma is choosy, and the name has to sit just right in her mind. How long will they call the crib's inhabitant "Baby" before Mrs. Vorlob decides? Loath to add to her mother's stress, Adine strives to live at peace with Aunt Irene, but the woman is cantankerous in the aftermath of her divorce. Adine desires alone time with her mother and new sibling, but Aunt Irene interferes. Bernice and Carla are tired of their aunt, too, and wouldn't mind telling her, but Adine restrains them from crossing lines that can't be uncrossed. Aunt Irene is family, and they have to treat her civilly or end up in a worse situation. After an incident at school Adine is at the boiling point with her aunt and wants her gone, but people are often more vulnerable than they let on, and revenge against a person in deep pain is hollow reward. We are each our own lonely planet, spinning aimlessly in a cold, dark universe, but we can take comfort that a few friends and family members orbit the same central object, however far apart we may be. Perhaps Adine and Aunt Irene will come to see they aren't so different even though their personalities clash, and that family closeness is a blessing even when it feels like nothing more than a chore. There's a lot of life ahead, and Adine is on the road toward it. Kevin Henkes doesn't write thrills or twists; he's more Judy Blume than Neal Shusterman. But The Zebra Wall is good, a reflection on turmoil within and without, told with the uncompromising realism that marks all the author's novels. Authenticity is more important to him than synthesizing a perfect moment to cap the story, and that's why I love what Kevin Henkes does. It's as if he's creating life, a miracle every author strives for but few come close to achieving. Is there any act as awesome as the creation of life ex nihilo? The Zebra Wall isn't as powerful as some of Henkes's later novels, but I rate it two and a half stars, and considered rounding up to three. The story will linger with me for some time.

Review # 2 was written on 2015-12-27 00:00:00 Joseph Perlmutter as you see by the title it says 'zebra wall' you might think its going to talk about zebras or probably zebra stripes in the wall and by the cover of the book has zebra stripes , well theres more to what you think about the title . Once I saw this book I also thought it was going to be something dealing with zebras , zebra stripes but I was wrong , this book is talking about a mother who had 5 kids and the first letter of there names are going by the alphabet a,b,c,d,e and shes having another baby there kids are giving her names that start with the letter 'f' to go with the alphabet but she asked her Aunt Irene she can name her son but instead of naming him with a 'f' she named him with a 'z' and so all the mothers kids made a wall with names that started with a 'z' and called it the 'zebra wall' , and so when the baby came out they named him zachary , and I love this book so much because they made a twist into it , and in my opinion I think they named him with a 'z' was because that was the last baby she was going to have and the last letter of the alphabet was 'z'. -Nazareth Gonzalez