| Number | Call Number | Branch | Status | Volume |
| 1 |
J F Alexander Lloyd |
CP |
In at CP (Corporate Parkway) |
|
| 2 |
J F Alexander Lloyd |
MK |
In at MK (Middendorf-Kredell) |
|
| 3 |
J F Alexander Lloyd |
MY |
In at MY (McClay) |
|
| 4 |
J F Alexander Lloyd |
SP |
In at SP (Spencer Road) |
|
|
| /*Starred Review*/ Gr. 4^-7. Greater Dunitsa, a self-satisfied town run by a council more impressive for its ego than its wisdom, looks upon the girl Rizka with a certain disdain. Left alone by the death of her mother, a Dunitsa woman, and the disappearance of her father, a gypsy man, Rizka lives by her wits on the outskirts of town, hoping for her wandering father's return. Meanwhile, she becomes a catalyst for all that is good in the town and the instrument for making the foolish look ridiculous. In one memorable scene, Rizka disguises herself as a physician and informs the guillible chief councilor that he suffers from "chickophobia." She kindly undertakes to cure him by covering him with honey and telling him, "You must find your inner chicken. . . It would help if you clucked and tried to lay an egg." When the gypsies finally come, and she learns of her father's death, Rizka plans to leave with his people but finds that her ties to the townspeople are deeper and stronger than she had known. This episodic novel with its combination of broad humor and sly wit is a robust read. Rizka's unconventional style and her ability to make the authorities look silly will strike a chord with children who often have their own issues with authority figures. Another strong heroine in an entertaining yet thoughtful tale from Alexander, a master storyteller. ((Reviewed March 15, 1999)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews | | | |
| A comic opera of a tale, set in a traditional storybook village where most folks are well meaning, where the one real villain is the overweening Chief Councilor Sharpnack, and where the local outcast-the girl Rizka-is a trickster hero, whose mischief benefits the meek and needy even more than herself. It's Rizka who makes the feuding parents of a Romeo-and-Juliet couple believe the lovers are in terrible danger, so that the parents vow mutual forgiveness if only their children turn up safe; Rizka who lures the seamstress's unwanted suitor to her window so that the good lady can douse him with cold water; Rizka who, time and again, dramatizes the meanness of Sharpnack, who wants to drive her out of town simply because she's too clever and a gypsy. Sharpnack, in fact, is the quintessential small-minded prosecutor/judge. Prejudice and vituperation mar his every act; his policy is to "deny that anything happened, then issue official reassurance it won't happen again." He judges on the flimsiest of evidence and legal grounds. When a mistral-like wind, the "zipple," sets people to quarreling, he sends them to jail for name-calling and thus is caught in his own trap: Sharpnack's epithets are the most abusive of all. The message is evident, but far from pedantic; it's delivered in scenes of broad slapstick that effervesce with mind-tickling repartee. Rizka herself is splendidly quick-witted; the wild convolutions of her plots against the foolish or unjust are a delight. She's also vulnerable enough so that it's quite touching when she finally wins her neighbors' affection and thanks. Vintage Alexander: lively, satirical, and with a core of pure gold. j.r.l. Copyright 1999 Horn Book Magazine Reviews | | | |
| This tome from Alexander (The Iron Ring, 1997, etc.) showcases all the elements of a farce as mayors and councilmen, gypsies and ragamuffins supplant kings and princes, warriors and magic cats. Episodic chapters resemble short skits as the orphaned gypsy girl Rizka, with intentional but lighthearted mockery, merrily exposes the townspeople of Greater Dunitsa for all their quirks and quixotic notions. She is soothsayer, matchmaker, and healer rolled into one. With a glint in her eye and a trick up her sleeve, the quick-witted Rizka can make grown men cluck like chickens, believe in town hall ghosts, or stuff herring down their pants in an effort to grow smarter, all ``in the name of civic duty.'' For a stretch, the plot is more of the same, pitting Rizka against the evil Chief Councilor Sharpnack, who seeks only to rid the town of the ``pestilential Gypsy vixen'' and her impudent cat Petzel, ``the only blot(s) on the town's reputation.'' In a series of ``carefully managed coincidences,'' snowballing plot elements land many of the bumbling government officials in their own jail. All comes right again, for as Rizka has wound her way into the lives of the townspeople, she has also found her way into their hearts. Alexander has a flair for finding the comedic in his pageant of characters, while his chain of absurdities reveals a truth or two about the human condition along the way. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright 1999 Kirkus Reviews | | | |
| "Skinny as a smoked herring; long-shanked, bright-eyed, with cheekbones sharp enough to whittle a stick," the half-Gypsy girl Rizka lives with her impudent cat, Petzel, in a dilapidated caravan just outside the town of Greater Dunitsa. On her own since her mother died, Rizka awaits the day when her Gypsy father will return to sweep her off with him to the traveling life. In the meantime, the sharp-witted urchin keeps busy deflating the pretensions of the town's most complacent burghers and being a true friend to those few who appreciate her worth. Rich with comic exaggeration and the folksy cadences of a tall tale, Rizka's sassy escapades include outwitting the town's narrow-minded Chief Councillor Sharpnack, furthering two local romances, impersonating Greater Dunitsa's resident ghost and sharing the wonders of Ali Baba's cave with the dreamy, book-loving town clerk. The narrative brings to mind the author's lighthearted Vesper Holly books rather than his more serious-minded Westmark trilogy; a sweetly poignant conclusion draws together the various episodes while making a gentle point about the importance of family, home and friendship. Ages 8-12. (Apr.) Copyright 1999 Publishers Weekly Reviews | | | |
| Gr 5-8-Master storyteller Alexander has another winner in this story of Rizka, a young Gypsy living alone in her wagon on the outskirts of Greater Dunitsa while awaiting the return of her father. Her irrepressible and quick-witted style of helping the townspeople exposes their ridiculous foibles as she tricks them with ruses that create hilarious situations yet turn out for the best. Rizka has her finger in everything: runaway lovers; floods; magical caves; and the dreaded Zipple, a relentless breeze that drives the citizens a little crazy. While she evokes either adoration or aggravation in the town, at the book's conclusion, when the Gypsies finally return but with news of her father's death, Rizka learns the real meaning of family and community. Much in the novel is familiar in structure, characterization, style, and theme to previous works by Alexander: an imaginary land; an array of wonderfully exaggerated characters; events as a series of comic twists and turns; and humor that is farcical, satirical, tongue-in-cheek, and often derived from playing on words. But what is most quintessential Alexander is the creation of a strong heroine adept at triumphing by her wits. What is less familiar here is the plot. Gypsy Rizka reads like a series of vignettes, driven less by a strong story and a thematic wrestle between good and evil than earlier novels. Rizka is cut from the same cloth as the bright and brassy Mickle from the "Westmark" trilogy and the plucky star of the five titles in the "Vesper Holly" series. Fans will be delighted.-Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME Copyright 1999 School Library Journal Reviews | | |
|