The Devil Made Him Write It

It’s been 30 years since we last saw Rosemary gently rocking the black-creped bassinet that held her horned, tailed, clawed, yellow-eyed offspring. Not content to let readers come to their own conclusions as to what happened next, Ira Levin chose to desecrate the memory of his most accomplished work with “Son of Rosemary: The Sequel to ‘Rosemary’s Baby,’ ” a hackneyed, jaw-droppingly banal sequel that defines the word “unnecessary.” The devil must have made him do it. The plot finds Rosemary awakening from a 30-year witchcraft-induced coma to find that her son, Andy, is now a world famous inspirational speaker with near-messiah status. The millennium is dawning and Andy is single-handedly bringing the world together in peace. Or is he? This rather less-than-intriguing premise has been draped over unconvincing plot developments and Christian metaphors of the most predictable sort. Rosemary, despite all she went through in the first book, is not one iota smarter. The sequel ends in a way that is sure to have you hurling your copy out the nearest window. Anyone with fond memories of the original novel or the acclaimed film is encouraged to forget this sequel and to pray for Ira Levin.

KEN ANDERSON

Los Angeles

*

“Simon Says,” by Gloria Murphy, is about a family of four who are on their way to their beach house when someone tries to hijack their car. This young man rescues them. His name is Simon. The book shows how he takes the place of the father very gradually, and it keeps the reader in suspense. Simon spends time with the kids but doesn’t do the good stuff an older person should do. The young boy named Zack thinks Simon is his friend, even though Simon makes him do stuff like keep his head under water until Simon says it’s all right to come up for air. Simon also supplies the older girl of the family with narcotics. The very best part of the story is at the end but if you want to know it, you’ll have to read it yourself. I found the book a bit trashy, but that only spiced up the story. I also found that this book was fast reading, which made it even easier to like. All in all, this is one of the greats. If you live near a bookstore, I would seriously think about buying this book. If you don’t, you might wish you had.

SEAN ROSEN

Grade 8, the Windward School

Los Angeles

*

It’s 1915. Mary Russell, orphaned, living with a disagreeable aunt, is walking the countryside with her nose buried in Virgil when she comes upon some beehives. The beekeeper is Sherlock Holmes, retired to Sussex Downs. In “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice,” Laurie R. King involves us in a marvelous “what if”--what if Holmes met his match and she was female? King has kept the familiar world of Sherlock Holmes intact, including his brusque character. But she has fleshed him out so plausibly that we can believe the formidable detective would take on Russell as his apprentice. And as she grows into attractive young womanhood and becomes an Oxford scholar, he learns from her. Together they solve cases, exchanging pingpong dialogues of observations and theories. Finally, they themselves are caught in a web. The book is a new look at the detective. It’s a great read.

DAMIANA CHAVEZ

Los Angeles

*

Well, believe it or not, I am reading “The Mahabharata,” by C. Rajagopalachari. The teachings in this epic are truly timeless because they deal with everyday situations involving human nature. This book also discusses the secrets of living a peaceful and contented life in the midst of difficult circumstances, something we all can use. The story is about cousins who cheat the five sons of Pandu out of their rightful inheritance. The five sons are sent into exile for 12 years. Since they belong to the clan of warriors, their only alternative, to which they are honor-bound, is to go to war. This they do most reluctantly. One of the book’s teachings I would like to share: “Sensual desire is never quenched by indulgence any more than fire is by pouring oil on it. No object of desire--corn, gold, cattle or women--can ever satisfy the desire of man. We can reach peace only by a mental poise beyond likes and dislikes.” A lesson brought home again and again throughout this work is that anger, lust and greed are the downfall of all regardless of status, sex, wealth or position.

STEPHEN J. BOST

Yucca Valley

*

“Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer, is a fascinating inquiry into the events that led to the death of 24-year-old Chris McCandless alone in the wilds of Alaska in the fall of 1992 as he attempted to live off the land. Fragmentary newspaper accounts at the time provoked a widespread response from the public, most of it critical of the deceased. Krakauer was drawn to his subject in part by his understanding of the drive to challenge nature and in part because of certain similarities in his own background to that of the ill-fated young man. The book is a brilliant study of the sometimes fatal attraction that nature has for a particular type of individual, as well as an attempt to set the record straight with respect to McCandless’ life and untimely death. Part biography, part mystery, part historical documentary and part psychological thriller, “Into the Wild” is a book you will not soon forget, a candid, searching and affecting tribute to the memory of a remarkable young man.

JOHN H. KUSMISS

Sunland

*

Next week: Kevin Baxter on books for children and young adults.