A teen moves from Chicago to rural Minnesota in 1959 and finds her new life “worlds apart” from normalcy. A popular student at Morningside Academy, 13-year-old Winnie is shocked when her father unexpectedly accepts a five-year position as resident doctor at Bridgewater State Hospital, a mental institution in Minnesota where the family must live on hospital grounds, isolated from the nearest town. Typecast as the “Lone Retard” by cruel classmates, Winnie’s only friend is a solitary boy from the Indian reservation who relates to her pariah status. Winnie pretends her situation is temporary and fantasizes about returning to Chicago, but reality sets in when her mother suffers a breakdown. Initially disturbed by the mental patients, Winnie gradually realizes they are human beings, accepts that her old world is gone and decides “life—the weird, the wicked, and the wonderful parts of it . . . ” must be experienced. This disturbing peek inside a mental institution from Winnie’s perspective raises important questions about those who are marginalized out of ignorance. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2005
ISBN: 1-932425-28-4
Page Count: 176
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2005
1882
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-82979-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1999
Big brother Duane is off in boot camp, and Justin is left trying to hold the parental units together. Fat, acne-ridden, and missing his best friend Ben, who’s in the throes of his first boy-girl relationship with Cass, Justin’s world is dreary. It gets worse when he realizes that all of his mother’s suspicions about his father are probably true, and that Dad may not return from his latest business trip. Surprisingly ultra-cool Jemmie, who is also missing her best friend, Cass, actually recognizes his existence and her grandmother invites Justin to use their piano in the afternoons when Jemmie’s at cross-country practice. The “big nothing” place, where Justin retreats in time of trouble, is a rhythmic world and soon begins to include melody and provide Justin with a place to express himself. Practice and discipline accompany this gradual exploration of his talent. The impending war in Iraq gives this story a definite place in time, and its distinct characters make it satisfying and surprisingly realistic. Misfit finds fit. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004
ISBN: 1-56145-326-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2004
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