Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006
Probuditi! by Chris Van Allsburg
The celebrated writer-illustrator Van Allsburg (The Polar Express, Jumanji) returns with a deft, ironic yarn about sibling rivalry and settling the score. On Calvin's birthday, he and a pal see a stage hypnotist's show. Afterwards they try hypnotism on Calvin's little sister Trudy, who turns into a dog — but it takes a long, increasingly frantic afternoon to snap her out of it. As punishment, Calvin doesn't get the spaghetti dinner he'd been promised. That's mundane justice. Poetic justice comes from a remark by Trudy at the end, revealing that although Calvin is deprived of his birthday treat, he does get his just deserts.