Stand Your Ground

Kelly L. Green is editor of the Canadian Book Review Annual’s
Children’s Literature edition.

Since his mother died, when he was 6 years old, Jonathan has lived with
his father, a confidence man who has kept them moving from place to
place. Now things are really hot, so his dad drops him off at his
grandparents’ house in Streetsville, a small, old town completely
encompassed by a sprawling suburb. Jonathan hasn’t seen his
grandparents since the funeral, when his dad spirited him away. Now his
grandfather is suspicious that Jonathan has turned out to be just like
his father, the man who stole his daughter and ruined her life. This
book follows Jonathan as he enters his grandparents’ stable home,
attends the same school for more than a few weeks, makes friends, and
learns the meaning of loyalty, truth, and honor. When his father comes
back and expects him to return to their old life, Jonathan finds himself
forced to choose, like his mother once was, between his loving but stern
grandparents and his smooth-talking father.

In this allegorical story, Walters sticks closely to the formula:
innocence, faced with corruption, is given the chance to choose between
good and evil. Like the protagonists of historical morality plays and
traditional allegorical literature, such as Pilgrim’s Progress,
Jonathan follows a predictable path to redemption. However, this does
not mean that this book is not well worth reading. As a modern example
of this genre, Stand Your Ground holds its own. Many of the characters
are stereotypical, but within the confines of allegorical literature,
this is acceptable, and even necessary (although grandfather is a
complex character full of welcome surprises). One should note that the
women and girls in the book, when they do appear, are mere shades, not
even meriting stereotypes. The book’s entire female cast is comprised
of one dead mother, one grandmother who stays pretty much in the kitchen
while grandpa tools down the info highway in the den, and a couple of
giggly, but pretty, girls at school. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable
book that holds the reader’s attention. Recommended.