Bev CookeCritiques

I struggled mightily with this work. I did realize prior to starting that the book was written at a young adult level, but the narrative contained far too many generalities, and Ileana's role was often sugar coated. There was too much fascination with royalty and romance. This led me to take what few facts that I could gleam from the book with a grain of salt. I picked up this book after reading a biography of Ileana's nephew, King Mihai (or Michael). In his biography, Ileana did not come off as a sympathetic historical figure, and I was looking for an alternative view. I was disappointed. In the end, I couldn't finish the book.

This biography of Princess Ileana of Romania is rather disappointing. I've rated it two stars because of the biographical information given, however, sections throughout the book such as "Ileana Remembers" and "Picture This" leave much to be desired. I left this book wishing the author had written a more in depth look at the life of a most interesting princess.

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

FERAL by Bev Cooke is about life below the streets. Subway platforms and hidden tunnels where the trains roar is the setting for this story of survival.

Little Cat was born in the subway and through sheer wit has somehow survived. Much of the story is seen through the eyes of this little survivor. She waits patiently in her safe hidey-hole watching the action around her. She knows when the crowds come and when it is safe to venture out. At certain times of the day there are precious castoffs that dull her hunger pangs when she doesn't have enough energy to hunt for mice. Her one friend, Candlewax, treats her kindly and sometimes shares what little he has. Life is hard, but she has learned to cope.

Katherine, a subway regular, sees Little Cat and is immediately taken with her. Fascinated with the cat's ability to live in the hostile environment, Katherine wishes she could be Little Cat's rescuer. Disappointed when her mother says no to bringing home the stray, Katherine comes up with the idea of using the cat as the focus of a school photography project. She visits every day, bringing healthy food, hoping to change her mother's mind by providing nutrition and future vet care for Little Cat. She herself lives in the dark shadow of poverty and gangs, but she finds a place in her heart for the tough little kitten.

In a parallel struggle, readers follow the life of Candlewax. He is a runaway foster kid who survives by sneaking into a nearby church to sleep and stealing candles that he later sells in the subway. Jorge, his buddy and protector, died and Candlewax is left to fend for himself. A gang leader named Big would like to use Candlewax's knowledge of the hidden tunnels to further his drug trade and battle a rival gang. Candlewax knows that becoming involved in the gang lifestyle will only lead to trouble or worse.

Bev Cooke presents a way of life most readers have only heard about through documentary programs dealing with the plight of the urban homeless. Life is rough and unforgiving at best. The two viewpoints presented here reveal the harsh truth of a world given little attention by most.

An excellent biography of a Romanian princess who lived through difficult times, including exile, and ultimately became a nun who founded an Orthodox monestary in the USA

The true story of a princess who endured the upheavals of the 20th century by means of her faith in God, this biography is enhanced by means of two unique devices: "Ileana Remembers," in which the princess talks about her impressions of the important times in her life; and "Imagine This," which puts the reader in the midst of vignettes between her and various important people in her life.

Two relatively minor things detract from the book: One is a timeline that strives to be helpful by relating events in the princess's life to the historical events surrounding her. This timeline would be very much more helpful if it would leave out such gratuitous events as the discovery of DNA, references to the Vietnam War, and the election of various American presidents and Canadian prime ministers. The other is more of a caveat: Although the book was written as a "Young-Adult Biography," it's difficult to see it as being suited to anyone younger than at least fifteen years of age. The descriptions of the princess's hardships could be quite frightening to a young teenager, and although the princess herself endured many of these hardships as a young child, the book notes that they scarred her for life. I see no need to scar other young children, as well.

That said, this book would be a welcome addition to any Orthodox library, and is as readable for an adult as it would be for any older teenaged girl.