THE CAVE

Three years into a drought in Depression-era South Dakota, while Christine's father is preparing to leave his farm and take his family to California, Christine and her little brother Michael are hiding an amazing secret—a cave they found in the nearby hills, filled with wonders beyond imagining. First, there is the water, a clear cool underground stream that moistens the air and relieves Michael's asthma. Second, the myriad rooms filled with crystals, stalactites, and frozen waterfalls. And finally, the smooth stones lying everywhere that contain treasure within them. Although torn by her decision to keep the cave a secret from her parents, Christine is afraid of what her father would do to it if he knew. Christine remembers the cottonwoods that used to grow by the now dried-up stream, long gone to the woodpile, and fears that her father will rape her cave as well. But when Christine's father finds the stones that she and Michael had inadvertently brought home, it is up to the cave to protect itself. Christine, meanwhile, discovers secrets within her own body, and the strength she will need to survive in years to come. Fine period detail and masterful writing grace Karr's (Gideon and the Mummy Professor, 1993, etc.) story of quiet courage during hard times. (Fiction. 10+)