CARLY'S BUCK

by C.S. Adler ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 23, 1987

When Carly's father falls off the proverbial pedestal where she has placed him, she must struggle to accept his weaknesses. Carly feels that her father has betrayed her mother by his inattentiveness during her mother's recent struggle with cancer. And so Carly, full of rage and bitterness, has left her father in California and gone to live with an aunt and uncle in upstate New York. Despite her anger, though, she finds she misses her father; and grieving, she feels guilty for not being by her mother when she died. Meanwhile, Carly feels she doesn't belong in her new small-town environment. Her greatest pleasure is watching a family of deer in a nearby woods--and when hunting season starts, she has new conflicts to face. At the close, Carly has learned to forgive people's weaknesses, starting with her own. Adler deftly handles the strong emotional content here; characterization is good, Carly's gradual change of heart believable, and the picture of an adolescent adjusting to a parent's death honest. The issue of deer hunting is also handled well--pros and cons are fairly presented--though the information about the habits of whitetail deer is occasionally intrusive. A gentle story about change and learning to accept it.

Pub Date: March 23, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S