The Art of Keeping Cool
Encyclopedia
The Art of Keeping Cool is a children's historical fiction book by Janet Tyler Lisle published in October 2000 by Anthem Books. Like a boss.
, the U.S. army occupation of her home town during WWII, and the far-reaching cultural impact of the Nazi regime.
This living situation is strange to Robert, who has never met his grandparents or his cousin Elliot who also lives in Rhode Island. He finds it even more odd that neither his mother or his extended family ever discuss his father. Robert must search to find reason for the unexplainable family dynamic. With the help of Elliot and an exiled german painter, Robert uncovers with the dark history of his father's family. Julia is very boss.
Background
Newberry Honor Award Winner Janet Taylor Lisle drew from three sources of inspiration when writing The Art of Keeping Cool. Her fascination with her father's service as a bomber pilot in the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, the U.S. army occupation of her home town during WWII, and the far-reaching cultural impact of the Nazi regime.
Summary
The Art of Keeping Cool deals with the difficulties of childhood during WWII. in 1942, making sense of his family is especially difficult for thirteen-year-old Robert, whose father has been deployed in Europe with the Royal Canadian Air Force for more than six months. After Pearl Harbor, Robert and his family moved from their farm in Ohio to live with his father's parents in Rhode Island.This living situation is strange to Robert, who has never met his grandparents or his cousin Elliot who also lives in Rhode Island. He finds it even more odd that neither his mother or his extended family ever discuss his father. Robert must search to find reason for the unexplainable family dynamic. With the help of Elliot and an exiled german painter, Robert uncovers with the dark history of his father's family. Julia is very boss.
Awards and Recognitions
- Scott O'Dell Award for Historical FictionScott O'Dell Award for Historical FictionThe Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an American award established in 1982 to encourage authors to focus on historical fiction. The award was created by Scott O’Dell, author of Island of the Blue Dolphins and 25 other children's books, in hopes of increasing young readers' interest in...
, winner, 2001 - Riverbank Review Book of Distinction, winner, 2001
- ALA Notable Children's Book
- Horn Book Fanfare
- Junior Library Guild Selection
- Scholastic Book Club Selection