Book Review: Parade of Shadows
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this book, set in the Middle East
of old, presents some vastly different ideas about women's
roles than readers are accustomed to. A woman is sentenced to a
stoning for having a relationship with someone other than her
husband; the stoning is not described, but we know when it will
take place. There are also threats of violence and
imprisonment, and someone is poisoned but survives.
Families can talk about other cultures and which customs are
different from or similar to their own. Why do you think gender
roles differ so much in different cultures, even today? Parents
can also talk about the importance of family and communication.
Why did Julia feel estranged from her father?
Julia is 16 and full of romantic ideas, or at least her father thinks so. When she impulsively asks to go along on one of his many trips abroad she is shocked that he says yes.
A chance at adventure and romance is all Julia can think about as she sails off to places she's only known from maps.
What Julia didn't plan on is everyone she has come in contact with has a hidden agenda, including her father. What will she do when she finds herself caught up in romance, danger, customs and cultures so very different from her own?
National Book Award winner Gloria Whelan tells a classic, enjoyable tale of spies, mystery, adventure, and romance in PARADE OF SHADOWS. Whelan's pace throughout the book mirrors the pace of teen heroine Julia's adventure. At times the book speeds through the ancient streets of the Ottoman Empire. Other times it plods along through the desert. Even when the pace slows down, the layered characters and glimpses at their hidden agendas keep things interesting.
Even though Julia is rather sheltered, she begins to catch on to the true nature of almost everyone -- though at times readers will jump up and down in frustration at her moments of blind trust. Readers will never want her to feel too comfortable since suspense and suspicion are everywhere. As a bonus, Parade of Shadows is peppered with detailed historical references. It's kind of like a sneaky history lesson disguised as fun.
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