Feather won more fights
against her brothers.
Which meant fewer chores.
And fewer chores meant
more time to train.
And the more she trained,
the more she beat her brothers.
Which meant even fewer chores.
Feather's killer left gave her
confidence."
Paulina loves nothing more than playing the piano. Her love for music gets her little status in a houseful of men. Once a Russian miner, her father now drives a taxi . Her brothers, Oleg, Vlad, and Ivan, love eating, computers and soccer. There is no mother. Paulina is known to all as Feather. The reasoning being that she is the youngest; thus, the smallest. Feather seems an appropriate nickname. Paulina thinks not.
Every challenge from her brothers is meant to bring defeat for their young sister. Always trying to get out of their household chores, they challenge their younger, weaker sister to best them in order to dictate who will do those tasks. How will Paulina ever beat them at arm wrestling, or any other battle? If she loses, she works for hours at cleaning and cooking, getting groceries doing laundry. All those jobs mean time away from the music she loves to play. Taking up boxing seems an honorable pursuit for the young girl, and might be just what she needs to do to get the best of them.
It is so important that she is willing to give up the piano in order to begin boxing lessons. She is willing to work hard to accomplish her goal. Her coach is tough, and Paulina is up to the challenges presented. The fact that she is left-handed provides an edge. As tough as the training is on her physically, she remains resolute in her quest for proving herself. Her bothers and father are very supportive as she prepares for her first match. Victory is sweet, and offers a new understanding for her place in the family. Things at home change. Will that one fight be enough? Will she return to the piano, having proved she could do it?
This is an admirable story, in praise of a feisty girl who believes in herself and what she CAN do. She's got gumption; and everyone knows it. Those things left unsaid are some of the most memorable and artistic moments in this fine book. Illustrated with beauty in expressive and astute scenes, readers are fully aware of the many intimate moments shared with family strength and love. The details in the design are meaningful and quite stunning.
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