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A thoughtful story about life in a small farm town in Kansas, told through the eyes of an adopted girl. ( )

My son and I both appreciated the two interwined themes of this concise story. I highly recommend the review written by s.leep - even though that gr member did not give the book a star rating. ( )

The Monument by Gary Paulsen (1991): Rocky (Rachael) is an adopted girl living in a small town in Kansas when an artist is commissioned to create a monument to the town’s fallen soldiers. But the effect that the artist has on the town--and on Rocky--may change things forever.

The story of Rocky, of Python, and of their life in Bolton is well-told and interesting enough on its own, but with the arrival of artist Mick Strum, the book begins to concern itself with no less than the question of what is art, and why it makes people feel or see things differently. And though it’s almost forgotten until the end, the monument is a symbol, and a reminder, and the very idea of it has power: power to make a crowded hall pause in silence, and to bring tears. The tacit comparison of the power of the visual art that Mick and Rocky create and the written work of Gary Paulsen provides another level of reflection for the reader.