By William Pène du Bois
Winner of the 1948 Newbery Medal
Last weekend I had to take advantage of the 50% off all
books at my local Savers store. I mean,
with children’s books normally .99, I really couldn’t pass it up! This time, I was lucky to find quite a few
older Newbery winners. A goal of mine is
to read every Newbery winner since the American Library Association awarded the
first in 1922. My trip to Savers will
help me fulfill that goal.
The Twenty-One Balloons, first published in 1947, tells the
story of Professor William Waterman Sherman who intends to fly across the
Pacific via hot air balloon. After years
of teaching mathematics to children, he feels in need of both solitude and a
change in scenery. He gets much more
adventure than he expected and the solitude is short-lived. After crashing on the island of Krakatoa, he
discovers a sophisticated society of people living around an active volcano and
operating with the wealth of their limitless secret diamond mine.
The inhabitants have formed an unusual society. Particularly intriguing is the island’s
restaurant government in which each family owns a different themed restaurant. With twenty families, each one only needs to
cook on every 20th day. Variety
and plenty of time for fun and relaxation – a great combination!
Of course, living on a volcanic island has its
drawbacks. The periodic shaking of the
earth takes some getting used to. Professor
Sherman takes some time to get his “mountain legs”. Unfortunately, the fictional Sherman happened
to land on Krakatoa shortly before the real-life 1883 eruption. Fortunately, the island inhabitants had an elaborate
escape plan all worked out.
In the end, Professor Sherman did not get what he expected
from the trip. He got something
better. Accidental discovery is the key. What really matters? It’s the journey, not the destination.
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