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Loading... Gull Number 737by Jean Craighead George
1964 Project (46) Loading...
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The final chapters take a sudden turn when an accident at a local airport is caused by seagulls and other birds that frequent the airfield (and a man they know from the island was on board, making it very personal). Suddenly his father's knowledge of seagull behavior is in demand, as the airport authorities try to solve their bird problem. Luke gets to see first hand how the research material can be of use in the real world, although he still is at odds with his father, as they have different ideas on what the best solution is.
This book was pretty wonderful. I don't think I've ever read another juvenile fiction that had such a clear picture of field research work before- including the difference between applied and basic research, the struggles to obtain funding, the long boring hours of observation when nothing happens. It's also rather dated- sometimes in a quaint way. I can't imagine a teenager being allowed to just wander through an airport and go up into the traffic control tower! The sister gets roundly chastised for saying a mild swear word at the dinner table (her parents dramatically blame the rough compnay on the lobster boat as a bad influence) and the main character's attitude towards girls- especially his own sister- are rather demeaning even though he means it kindly. I didn't find this bothersome though, it just reminded me soundly of the timeframe.
from the Dogear Diary ( )