![]() ![]() At the center of this web of loving relationships is the one that grows between David and The Gawgon, the memory of which supports David after her death. This is a departure for master fantasist Alexander ( How the Cat Swallowed Thunder, 2000, etc.), who here eschews a grand canvas in favor of close and affectionate portraits of the many quirky characters in David’s life: his father, who plots to sell bottled water from the River Jordan (generously diluted with tap water) when his business fails Uncle Eustace, the tombstone salesman the doomsaying Aunt Rosie, one of whose frequent malapropisms gives rise to The Gawgon’s nickname. But David, a dreamy boy who loves to make up stories of derring-do (punctuating the text throughout and featuring himself), soon learns that The Gawgon’s (“Gorgon”) methodologies are perfect for him, as she feeds him an unconventional education hinging on stories that become further fuel for his imagination (she supplies the smile for a frustrated Leonardo’s greatest work, among other feats). ![]() Eleven-year-old David, recovering from a severe bout of pneumonia, rejoices in the doctor’s advice that he not return to school-until, that is, “Aunt” Annie, a true battleaxe, volunteers to tutor him. A sweet tale of imagination and intergenerational friendship on the cusp of the Depression. ![]()
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