ANNOTATION

While visiting Greece, thirteen-year-old Plato Jones tries to come to terms with his mixed heritage as he finds out more about his two grandfathers, the Welsh one, a World War II hero, and the Greek one, a supposed traitor.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Thirteen-year-old Plato Jones comes to terms with his mixed heritage when he visits Greece and finds out about his Welsh grandfather, a World War II hero, and his Greek grandfather, who is rumored to have been a traitor.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

At his grandfather's funeral in a Greek village, half-Greek and half-Welsh London-bred teenager Plato Jones becomes aware of the WW II-era conflict that soured the relations between his two sets of grandparents. As the story progresses, Plato pieces together the mystery surrounding his ``traitor'' grandfather, and comes to a new, more sophisticated understanding of what it means to be a hero. When a fire sweeps through the tiny mountain village, Plato and his mother pitch in to help, thus healing old wounds and creating a new sense of belonging. Bawden's trademark thoughtfulness takes on a suspenseful edge, thanks to the novel's intelligent plot, crisp pacing and precise dialogue. Set against a rich cultural and historical background, Plato's discovery of his unique identity is brought skillfully to life by Bawden's splendid storytelling. Ages 9-12. (Oct.)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Thirteen-year-old Plato Constantine Jones lives with his Greek mother in a suburb of London. He is struggling through puberty and trying to figure out his place in the world. Is he more like his Welsh grandfather, a World War II hero, or his Greek grandfather, a World War II traitor? And how can he reconcile these two aspects of his heritage? In the meantime, will he grow physically or remain a runt forever? Will his divorced mother marry the wealthy Tasso, and, in the climactic last section of the book, will fire destroy his Greek grandfather's village? Bawden writes fluently of Plato's journey toward self-acceptance. His first-person narrative is interesting and insightful, leavened with enough humor to avoid the ``poor me'' trap adolescent novels so often fall into. The characters are intriguing, as are their foreign adventures, and the author skillfully brings the different settings and subplots vibrantly to life. A rewarding, well-realized coming-of-age novel.-Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Plato unravels the mystery that connects his Welsh grandfather, a famous World War II spy, to his Greek grandfather, a traitor. Introspective, but buoyed by the boy's deadpan sense of humor, his wildly diverse relatives, and their deep ties to the past. (Nov., 1993)

BookList - Hazel Rochman

"Wars give ordinary people a chance to be more than just ordinary. . . . You can save your friend's life or betray him." The ever-popular World War II homefront drama gets a new spin in this story of a contemporary British teenager. Plato Jones has always known that his Welsh grandfather was a hero in the Greek resistance. Now, as Plato and his mother return to her village for his Greek grandfather's funeral, Plato discovers that this other grandfather might have been a coward and a traitor. What does that make Plato? It's hard to keep straight all the relatives across countries and across generations (who's whose sister-in-law?), especially since there are all kinds of present-day complications, including Plato's father, who lives in New York with his new young wife. It's Plato's smart, funny, self-deprecating voice that draws you into the story and holds you there. As he connects his own worries about himself to the drama of what happened in the Greek village when the Nazis closed in on his two grandfathers 50 years earlier, Plato learns the fallacy of slick labels like "hero" and "villain". Bawden is also exuberant about the cross-cultural conflicts. Plato's best friend tells him to stop whining about being caught between cultures and all that identity stuff. He's lucky to have two countries where he's at home. Where he belongs.