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proudly presents a new novel for pre-teens
A TURN FOR DEWURST By Sydney Kendall
Astrid is a highly gifted fifth grader, who is being smothered under the lock-step
conformist program of her teacher, Dr. Helton. In order to intellectually survive, she has
taken on the responsibility of developing her own mind. She refuses to conform to the
class schedule that lags far behind her own. Learning is her key, and grades, credit on
paper, are important only as long as they are high enough to pass. Dr. Helton is
determined to break her, to make all the children in his classroom conform, obey
authority without question, and be socialized according to his plan. Shortly, because Dr.
Helton becomes school principal, every child in the school is subjected to his
authoritarian principles, and at some level suffers, giving up independent thought, choice,
self-expression and the ability to function at a personal level above Principal Helton's
plan. Worse, most of the parents have blind faith in this educational "expert" and his
authority. They have been blind-sided by years of trusting in authority, for authority has
meant rule by the "experts," and the experts were believed to be inherently good and
moral. It is up to the school children to sound the wake up call to get their parents to
take their plight seriously.
Kendall uses adult and children's characters in comparison and contrast on multiple
levels to get at the heart of their moral choices. Heroes are honest minds who want to do
the right thing, and villains are motivated by their desire to control others by faking,
defrauding, bullying and physical force.
The Town Meeting, forced by the children and a handful of thinking adults, is the forum
at which the ideas behind the novel's conflict are made explicit by civilized and
impassioned individual presentations, and an emotionally charged secret is revealed.
A TURN FOR DEWURST is a philosophical gem in which characters are
multidimensional, living, thinking, reacting human beings. It is a first novel tour de
force, clearly and beautifully written.
Sydney Kendall is a member of SCBWI. She is a resident of Ohio.
ORDERING Phone Number and FAX Number:
ROYAL FIREWORKS PRESS, Inc.
Sydney Kendall
A TURN FOR DEWURST, while filled with playful imagery, is a philosophical gem examining the evil of ruling others by force: the conflict between freedom of choice and a coercive school system. The characters are three-dimensional, thinking, reacting human beings. They range from charming to villainous. Kendall uses adult and child character comparison and contrast on multiple levels to get at the very heart of their moral choices. Heroes are "honest minds who want to do the reasonable and right thing." Villains are "motivated by their desire to control others by faking, defrauding, bullying and outright physical force." Parents, for the most part, have been blindsided by years of trusting in authority, for authority has meant rule by the "experts," and the experts were believed to be inherently good and moral. It is the put upon school children who ultimately force the Town Meeting, and in this format the battle of ideologies rages. The "experts" espouse the philosophy that children should be taught to think alike for peace, prosperity and brotherhood. The individualists argue for choice, diversity, and even disagreement, as long as everyone ultimately agrees on crucial points.
Royal Fireworks Publishing FIRST AVENUE P.O. Box 399 UNIONVILLE, NEW YORK 10988 ORDERING Phone Number and FAX Number: Ph: (845) 726-4444 FAX: (845) 726-3824 Email: rfpress@frontiernet.net
TITLE: A Turn For DeWurst |
