Nancy, her brother Andrew, and their friends Amy and Clare Linklater, try to figure out what’s going on at their neighbor Sandra Wilkins’s house in this coming-of-age story set in 1950s rural Canada. Outwardly pious, Mrs. Wilkins is extremely strict, Sandra’s older sister Tracy has gotten pregnant and plans to run away with the baby’s father, and Sandra herself is a liar who uses Nancy as a scapegoat whenever Sandra gets in trouble. Free spirits Amy and Clare live with their widowed mother and play with Nancy in the woods and fields around their houses; they pick raspberries, climb trees, and bounce on an old fence Nancy’s christened the “Yangtze.” A subplot includes Mrs. Linklater’s secret romance with Mr. Chevrolet, a jovial Polish neighbor whose real name the children can’t pronounce, but who loves children and doesn’t mind being named after his car. The portrayal of small-town gossip and snobbery are well done, and the characters are familiar archetypes. Nancy and her friends seem a bit too naïve for the intended age level; they grapple with sophisticated themes of religious hypocrisy, personal privacy, and premarital sex yet they don’t know what the facts of life are, still watch cartoons, and play with dollhouses. The way they act may be very realistic for 1950s rural Canada, but readers old enough to understand what’s going on may not be able to relate to them. The bonds of friendship and friendly sibling rivalry ring true for any age, however, and the many plot twists, turns, and secrets will keep readers motivated. The contrast between the Wilkins family’s disintegration and the Linklaters coming together with Mr. Chevrolet adds a poignant twist to Nancy’s coming of age. (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: June 11, 2002
ISBN: 0-385-72963-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s 1949, and 13-year-old Francine Green lives in “the land of ‘Sit down, Francine’ and ‘Be quiet, Francine’ ” at All Saints School for Girls in Los Angeles. When she meets Sophie Bowman and her father, she’s encouraged to think about issues in the news: the atomic bomb, peace, communism and blacklisting. This is not a story about the McCarthy era so much as one about how one girl—who has been trained to be quiet and obedient by her school, family, church and culture—learns to speak up for herself. Cushman offers a fine sense of the times with such cultural references as President Truman, Hopalong Cassidy, Montgomery Clift, Lucky Strike, “duck and cover” and the Iron Curtain. The dialogue is sharp, carrying a good part of this story of friends and foes, guilt and courage—a story that ought to send readers off to find out more about McCarthy, his witch-hunt and the First Amendment. Though not a happily-ever-after tale, it dramatizes how one person can stand up to unfairness, be it in front of Senate hearings or in the classroom. (author’s note) (Fiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2006
ISBN: 0-618-50455-9
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2006
When Clara Luna, 14, visits rural Mexico for the summer to visit the paternal grandparents she has never met, she cannot know her trip will involve an emotional and spiritual journey into her family’s past and a deep connection to a rich heritage of which she was barely aware. Long estranged from his parents, Clara’s father had entered the U.S. illegally years before, subsequently becoming a successful business owner who never spoke about what he left behind. Clara’s journey into her grandmother’s history (told in alternating chapters with Clara’s own first-person narrative) and her discovery that she, like her grandmother and ancestors, has a gift for healing, awakens her to the simple, mystical joys of a rural lifestyle she comes to love and wholly embrace. Painfully aware of not fitting into suburban teen life in her native Maryland, Clara awakens to feeling alive in Mexico and realizes a sweet first love with Pedro, a charming goat herder. Beautifully written, this is filled with evocative language that is rich in imagery and nuance and speaks to the connections that bind us all. Add a thrilling adventure and all the makings of an entrancing read are here. (glossaries) (Fiction. 12-14)
Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2006
ISBN: 0-385-73343-7
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006
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