Product Description

Approx. 3 hours
2 cassettes

Benjamin Hunter receives two surprises on his twelfth birthday: a room and a letter. The room is from his parents. The letter is from his uncle. Ben was just two years old when he and his uncle Ian were last together, so Ben doesn't remember him. Now Ian wants Ben to visit, and Ben has an unexplainable urge to see - and know - his uncle. That is, if Ben's mother can let go of an old grudge long enough to let him have his wish.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2335724 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-01
• Released on: 2000-08-01
• Format: Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio Cassette

Amazon.com Review

"Two of the things Benjamin Hunter received for his twelfth birthday took him completely by surprise: a room and a letter. The room was from his parents. The letter was from his uncle."

A room and a letter--both so vague in the abstract, and so full of possibility. On Ben's birthday, however, both weigh heavily on his mind. The room is given to Ben as an artist's studio: his mother tells him, "'If you could paint Yellow Sky among all the clutter on the kitchen table,... just think what you could do here.'" Ben thinks getting a bicycle or big-screen TV might have been easier, and wishes he'd never painted the award-winning Yellow Sky. The letter creates an entirely different set of pressures. It is an invitation to visit his mother's brother, uncle Ian from Eugene, Oregon--the same brother she blames for the accident where Ben lost his little finger. Ben wants to meet his uncle: "Who wouldn't want to meet the person responsible? Wasn't it more weird not to think about it?" But Ben's mother has pushed Ian out of her life, and out of Ben's life, too, until she finally agrees to take her son to Oregon.

From here the story weaves in and out, exploring the complications of love, blame, and guilt. Ben's uncle--about to become a father himself--feels guilty for the accident, Ben's mother blames him. In a plot twist that further accentuates this theme, Ben makes an innocently offhand comment that leads to a little boy falling out of a tree and breaking his arm--a parallel to Ian's own sense of guilt about the accident that hurt Ben. If all of this sounds rather heavy, it is, but Ben's developing relationship with 13-year-old Lynnie and the breezy relief of the goofy interplay with Kale and Elka, the 5-year-old twins, keep the story buoyant. The happy ending, where the dreaded birthday room finds a new and noble purpose, doesn't hurt a bit either. Kevin Henkes, author of the award-winning novels Sun and Spoon, Words of Stone, and Protecting Marie--as well as picture books such as Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse--has a talent for getting straight to the heart of things, lucidly and compassionately portraying the emotions of his characters like few can. (Ages 10 and older)

From Publishers Weekly
Two gifts on a boy's 12th birthday fortuitously bring an entire family closer together. Young Benjamin likes to draw and paint, but when his parents give him a present of a room to use as a studio, he feels pressured into becoming an artist. He is enthralled by his second gift: a letter from his Uncle Ian in Oregon, inviting Ben to come for a visit. Ben's mother, however, is not so enthralled; she still blames her younger brother for a wood-shop accident that caused Ben to lose a finger at age two. Not until Ben tells her, "If I had to choose, I'd take the trip over the room," does she consent to the visit. As Ben spends time in Oregon with his mother, Uncle Ian, Ian's expectant wife, Nina, and the Deeter children who live nearby, he makes some important discoveries about his family and himself, and eventually finds a special purpose for his "birthday room." Once again, Henkes (Sun and Spoon; Protecting Marie) explores family relationships with breathtaking tenderness, showing how feelings of guilt, bitterness and fear can be quelled by more deeply rooted love. His understated narrative from Ben's perspective has a translucent quality that allows readers to discover the subtle dynamics among the adult characters right along with Ben. The characters here, especially Ben and the Deeter children, will be cherished. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7-On his 12th birthday, Ben's parents give him a present that he's not sure he wants-a room of his own to use as an art studio. He knows for certain, however, that he wants to accept his other birthday surprise-an invitation to visit from his estranged Uncle Ian. Ben's mother blames her brother for an accident that occurred when Ben was a toddler, which left the boy minus a pinkie. Henkes's cerebral, analytical style and his penchant for observation work better when he is exploring a character's interior landscape, as he did so well in Sun and Spoon (Greenwillow, 1997). Here, they are not as successful in moving the plot forward, and some of the descriptive detail seems gratuitous. Ben is a convincing, well-adjusted only child, apparently not traumatized by the loss of his finger, who shows potential for developing into a talented artist. He is torn between being his own person and trying to live up to his loving parents' expectations. The tension between Ben's mother and his uncle, and the steps toward its resolution, are dealt with offstage. Other small, but not particularly compelling, crises include Ian's pregnant wife's concern about a breech birth and the injury of a young neighbor for which Ben feels responsible. When Ben returns home, he has decided that the birthday room should become a guest room, ready to welcome his newfound extended family. Although the story's various threads fall short of forming a gracefully woven tapestry, Henkes does create a memorable character in Ben.
Corinne Camarata, Port Washington Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Gets better as the plot thickens
Yes, Yes, I know the title and the cover aren't that appealing, but once you get started, you'll finish. Benjamin Hunter was just 2 years old when he first visited his Uncle Ian and after that he never did visit again because of the accident (read to find out what the accident was). 10 years later on Benjamin's 12th birthday, Ben's parents give him a room as a present. A room. Ben is highly disappointed. That same day however he receives a letter from his Uncle Ian asking him to visit. Ben values the oppurtunity of the visit more than the room. Due to fights during their childhood, Ben's mother is hesitant. Finally she gives in and they are on thier way to his home. The rest of the book, you must read yourself. I think that all of Henke's books are family reads and should not be judged by their cover.

Good
Not perfectly written; has at least one cliché. And I was disappointed they didn't go to the Oregon coast. But otherwise an enjoyable story.

Birthday Room--What I think!
This book was about a boy who had to visit his uncle who had made tragic things happen in his life. Read to find out about what happened....trust me, it's a good book once you get into it! I would probably suggest this book to people 9 or 10+!