SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT
by C.C. Payne
Ten-year-old Jamie Jo never leaves home without her mama and her flyswatter. After watching a fictional movie character die from an allergic reaction, this daughter of a prosecutor and tone-deaf choir member fears bees, although she’s not allergic herself. Her life in rural Kentucky revolves around church, but she questions her faith when her mother is bullied out of the choir. However, it is restored when a damaging explosion before choir practice harms no one, as her absent mother had been its only punctual member. (In an author’s note, Payne explains that the strictly timed explosion was inspired by true events.) Jamie Jo demonstrates gradual growth in her small adventures with a new friend and her dog. Secondary characters are realistically flawed and memorable. While the quirky moments excel, Jamie Jo’s naïveté is unrealistic, even considering her sheltered upbringing. Conflicts are too neatly resolved, the voice meanders and didactic dialogue stunts this debut novel. (Fiction. 8-12)