Benjamin Dove

First published in Iceland in 1995, this elegiac coming-of-age novel explores the moral ambiguities that arise out of attempts to right an injustice. Twelve-year-old Benjamin and his two best friends, Jeff and Manny, play in “the Ground”—the playground in their shabby neighborhood—guarded against bullies by the watchful Grandma Dell, who lives next to it.When a new kid, Roland, moves in, he impresses the boys with the Scottish knights in his ancestry and by his passion for heroic deeds. But Roland's effort to stand up to Howie, a bully with a “pitch black” soul, ends with Howie setting fire to Roland's clothes and Grandma Dell calling in the police. Events rapidly escalate, and before long there are two groups of “knights” in the neighborhood: the Order of the Red Dragon, led by Roland, and the Order of the Black Feather, made up of violent boys plus Jeff, who has been drummed out of Roland's crew. While the good accomplished by the Red Dragon is good indeed, it does not assuage the characters' grief or guilt for the tragedy that ensues. The story unfolds lyrically and retrospectively in Benjamin's voice, occasionally shifting into other characters' perspectives. With its redemptive ending, this moving novel reaches across place and time to evoke the complexities of friendship, retribution and the loss of innocence. Ages 10-14. (Sept.)