Arilla Sun Down is a 1976 children's novel by Virginia Hamilton and is about the life experiences of Arilla, a young girl of African American and American Indian parentage.
Reception
A review of Arilla Sun Down in The Best in Children's Books: The University of Chicago Guide to Children's Literature, 1973-78 stated "Hamilton is a genius with words; once accustomed to the pattern, the reader hears the singing quality. What is outstanding in the story is the depth and nuance of the author's perception of the young adolescent, the brilliant characterization, and the dramatic impact of some of the episodes."[1] and Margaret Bernice Smith Bristow, writing about Hamilton in The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature, found "Her use of unconventional stream of consciousness and language in Arilla Sun Down (1976) is also noteworthy."[2]
Arilla Sun Down has also been reviewed by Kirkus Reviews,[3] Children's Literature Association Quarterly,[4] the English Journal,[5] and the School Library Journal.[6]
References
- ^ Zena Sutherland (1980). The Best in Children's Books: The University of Chicago Guide to Children's Literature, 1973-78. University of Chicago Press. pp. 198, 199. ISBN 9780226780597. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- ^ Andrews, William L.; Foster, Frances Smith; Harris, Trudier (15 February 2001). The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature: Hamilton, Virginia. p. 184. ISBN 9780198031758. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- ^ "Arilla Sun Down (starred review)". Kirkus Media LLC. September 1, 1976. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
There are reinforcing threads--Arilla's early rapport with an old Indian; her father's periodic need to return to his native village and his identity as Great Wolf. The resulting mesh gives the common theme of adolescent self-discovery a dazzling, uncommon impact
- ^ Anita West Moss (January 2009). "Frontiers of Gender in Children's Literature: Virginia Hamilton's Arilia Sun Down". Children's Literature Association Quarterly. 8 (4). Johns Hopkins University Press: 25–27. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
Arilia Sun Down is most certainly a courageous and aesthetically adventurous book, both in its innovative narrative technique and in its treatment of race and gender
- ^ "Young Adult Literature". English Journal. 86 (1). National Council of Teachers of English: 110. January 1997. Retrieved April 22, 2017.[dead link]
- ^ "Arilla Sun Down (Book Review)". School Library Journal. 23 (2). Media Source Inc.: 116 October 1976. Retrieved April 22, 2017.[dead link]