Book Review: Whirligig

Whirligig
By Paul Fleischman
Laurel Leaf (Random House)
Publication date: November 9, 1999
ISBN: 9780440228356

Every September 21, Pinwheels for Peace spreads the word of, well, peace by asking people around the world to plant a simple pinwheel. It's a neat idea, really, one that I did with my students back when I was teaching. I asked them each to create their own paper pinwheels during class. The next day we went downstairs and planted those pinwheels for the entire school to see. I expected some to mock the idea, think it stupid and immature (which, yes, some did), but I didn't expect them to like the assignment. They marveled at how bending a piece of paper could make it spin. They loved when the wind hit the pinwheels, starting a chain reaction. It was cute, and it reminded me that they weren't that different from me afterall.

Whirligig is not about Pinwheels for Peace, but it's not that different. Self-absorbed and self-conscious Brent is used to being the new kid at school. He's used to making sure that he's listening to the right music and wearing the right clothes. He thinks more about fitting in with everyone else in high school more than anything else, and not many people can blame him for that. He goes to a party one night, hoping only to see his crush there. What ensues in a mess of events, leading to his embarrassment. So with a few drinks under his belt, he leaves. He drives off and decides life isn't worth living anymore. But when he tries to take his own life, he accidentally takes someone else's.

What comes from that is an adventure he never saw himself taking. From feeling the deep agony of killing someone, to the fear-yet desire-of repercussions, he changes. He knows he'll never be the same. That is, until the victim's mother asks him to do one thing. Her daughter brought joy, so she wants Brent to do the same. He's to travel to the four corners of the country, and build and plant whirligigs for others' amusement. And so, Brent travels to Washington, California, Florida and Maine, completely unaware of who he might be helping. Or how he's helping himself survive.

I was immediately intrigued by this book due to the premise. There aren't many young adult novels where a character dies within the first few pages. There aren't many that deal with the repercussions of drunk driving. For that, I like the book. I like how it shows the seriousness of suicide, and how it's not only stupid, but how it could effect someone else as well. In that way, the book had a wonderful moral that created a very deep and painful impact.

Moral issues aside, I only thought the book was okay. Very well told, but not ground breaking. I never actually liked Brent, and I think that's my main problem. I never felt his pain, never felt sorry for him. Likewise, between each chapter is-creatively enough-a story about someone coming across the whirligigs. I liked that addition a lot, but each mini-story wasn't that great. Some were cute, such as the one in Maine, but some were completely inconsequential, like the one in Florida. I suppose that was the point - how one small thing CAN'T change everything - but that's what confused me. The book started by saying that one person's actions could change things for the worse - can't the theme continue showing that an action could change things for the better as well? I suppose in each case the person's situation WAS changed for the better a little bit, but nothing monumental enough.

I think the book was good, don't get me wrong, but I didn't htink it lived up to the hype I heard about it prior to reading. It did make me want to drive across the country, though, that's for sure. And build my own whirligig.

Whirligig was an excellent idea, executed well, but left me feeling a bit absent. Unlike the pinwheels - those redeemed each student in my eye. They let me see hope.