A tale that sincerely and effectively advocates human connection and empathy in dealing with trauma.
A teenage abuse victim finds healing and purpose in this debut YA novel.
Sam, age 15, is running away from Him, the father she won’t name—the parent who subjected her to years of emotional and physical abuse. The only adult love she’s ever known came from two teachers in junior high. Aside from them, her few happy memories are of Nova, her younger sister, and Dodger, a boy she met in residential care. Sam hasn’t seen Nova for years—not since their mother left and took one sister but not the other. Sam and Dodger have planned to meet at Lake Isabel on the first day of spring, but first she has to break free from the specter of Him. It is while she is fleeing through the forest that she comes upon a magical house built high up in and around the trees. Here she meets Theory, a kindly old woman who takes her in and helps Sam exorcise her demons. For the first time in her life, Sam feels safe. But spring is approaching and, with it, Dodger and two other young runaways. Can Sam take her newfound peace with her when she ventures back into the world? Mendivel portrays Sam as funny, intelligent, imaginative, and intensely vulnerable, her long conversations with Theory revealing a depth of understanding but also surging feelings of anger and doubt. It is an honest depiction, and the author neither shies away from the abuse Sam suffered nor describes it too graphically. The focus instead is on Sam’s state of mind, the turmoil of which is cleverly contrasted with the peace and order she comes to find in the forest. Sam is damaged—this is in no way presented as a judgment—and the first half of the narrative tips more toward therapy than story. With Dodger’s arrival, however, the balance is restored and Sam’s tale not only takes shape, but also shows itself to hold a bearing beyond her need to overcome her past. Sufferers young and old should take heart, but most readers would surely benefit from some exposure to Theory’s wisdom and Sam’s inner strength and insights.
A tale that sincerely and effectively advocates human connection and empathy in dealing with trauma.Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-977568-50-2
Page Count: 386
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Ramona returns (Ramona Forever, 1988, etc.), and she’s as feisty as ever, now nine-going-on-ten (or “zeroteen,” as she calls it). Her older sister Beezus is in high school, baby-sitting, getting her ears pierced, and going to her first dance, and now they have a younger baby sister, Roberta. Cleary picks up on all the details of fourth grade, from comparing hand calluses to the distribution of little plastic combs by the school photographer. This year Ramona is trying to improve her spelling, and Cleary is especially deft at limning the emotional nuances as Ramona fails and succeeds, goes from sad to happy, and from hurt to proud. The grand finale is Ramona’s birthday party in the park, complete with a cake frosted in whipped cream. Despite a brief mention of nose piercing, Cleary’s writing still reflects a secure middle-class family and untroubled school life, untouched by the classroom violence or the broken families of the 1990s. While her book doesn’t match what’s in the newspapers, it’s a timeless, serene alternative for children, especially those with less than happy realities. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 25, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-16816-7
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1999
Small, a very little fox, needs some reassurance from Large in the unconditional love department. If he is grim and grumpy, will he still be loved? “ ‘Oh, Small,’ said Large, ‘grumpy or not, I’ll always love you, no matter what.’ “ So it goes, in a gentle rhyme, as Large parries any number of questions that for Small are very telling. What if he were to turn into a young bear, or squishy bug, or alligator? Would a mother want to hug and hold these fearsome animals? Yes, yes, answers Large. “But does love wear out? Does it break or bend? Can you fix it or patch it? Does it mend?” There is comfort in Gliori’s pages, but it is a result of repetition and not the imagery; this is a quick fix, not an enduring one, but it eases Small’s fears and may well do the same for children. (Picture book. 2-6)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-202061-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
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