The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
by Nancy Farmer

Orchard Books, 2004







Genre:  Science Fiction

Honors:  Newbery Honor, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, ALA Notable Children’s Book, Parent’s Choice 1994 Story Book Award, Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books 1994 Blue Ribbon Book, Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Honor, Hal Clement [Golden Duck] Award

Review:  Its the year 2194, and Tendai, Rita, and Kuda, wish to escape the confining atmosphere that their father, the chief of security of Zimbabwe, had created. The Mellower, an employee of their parents, helps the children escape by sending unique messages to their parents during his trance-like morning Praise. The children's mother, desperate to find her kids, hires three unusual detectives with specific talents known as the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. The kids go on an adventure that keeps them away from home longer than they intended, but Tendai bravely leads his siblings with the help of an ancient Shona spirit until Ear, Eye and Arm rescue them.  

Opinion:  Overall, I appreciated the intricacies of the plot and the development of the varied and interesting characters. However, some of the oddities of the fantastical characters were too strange for me, thus detracting from the well-written story. My favorite aspect of the story is how Farmer utilizes foreign words, which gives the audience a sense of realism in regards to the setting of the book.

Ideas:  Nancy Farmer has written many books, a bunch of which have won noteworthy awards, and this book would be a great addition on a display of her works.