On the Odd Hours (Louvre Collection)

Gr 11—After Bastien, a cantankerous deaf-mute, nearly blows his chance to be an intern at the Louvre, a mysterious museum guard offers him a unique opportunity. Also hearing impaired, Fu Zhi Ha takes Bastien into his confidence and reveals the nature of his employment—he must use a special set of drums to periodically free the "souls of the artwork" lest they become frustrated and flee the Louvre for good. Bastien's disbelief turns to wonder when he sees that Fu Zhi's drumming causes characters from famous paintings to become animated and move about the museum. When Fu Zhi disappears, Bastien finds himself drawn further and further into the museum's strange "odd hours." With excellent artwork, particularly sensuous, swirling watercolors, and compelling subject matter, On the Odd Hours is a creative and likable work; Liberge's depiction of sign-language dialogue is particularly original. That said, the overly long and convoluted plot makes the story hard to follow at times and detracts from the book's uniqueness. Still, it's a fine supplemental purchase for artsy/adult-oriented collections.—Dave Inabnitt, Brooklyn Public Library, NY