Of Mice and Nutcrackers

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

Jane Peeler is preoccupied with her job of directing The Nutcracker for
the school’s holiday pageant. As Jane puts it, she is the director
because it was all her idea: “Actually, I wrote the words. Tchaikovsky
wrote the music.” The 13-year-old faces so many problems, however,
that she needs a notebook to keep track of what needs to be solved.
Patti, her leading lady, has fallen in love with the leading man and
gets jealous if Jane talks to him. The school’s coach won’t let Jane
use the school gym for rehearsals because he needs it for basketball
practice. Then her dad becomes sick with pneumonia and her ornery,
chain-smoking grandmother is called on to help. But Jane is determined
to succeed.

Jane’s brisk, no-nonsense personality, off-beat sense of humor, and
frenetic energy shape the story’s action and direct its pace. The
language, despite its simplicity, is poetic; time is felt as “a great
sinuous shape” writhing toward her. The language can also be zany
(“It’s as dark as the inside of a toothpaste tube”), a quality
that preteens will enjoy. The humor is sometimes sardonic (“Has
Grandma stopped smoking? Of course she has. And if you eat the crusts of
your sandwiches, your hair will grow curly”). The plot cleverly blends
Jewish and Christian holidays, which gives the amusing story a wide
appeal. Highly recommended.