Family Secrets
Staff -- School Library Journal, 3/1/1997
All of the families in the books listed below harbor secrets. Some are dark and grim; others are quirky and quite funny. Abuse, desertion, hidden pasts, feuds, and even a grandmother's elopement play a part. Some of the young protagonists draw on inner strengths they didn't know they had; others turn to siblings and friends for help. What these young people have in common is resilience, resourcefulness, and a feeling of hope for the future. These selections have been culled from SLJ's Best Books of years past. The date of the original review follows each annotation.
BAUER, Marion Dane. A Question of Trust. Scholastic. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-590-47915-6; pap. $2.99. ISBN 0-590-47923-7.
Gr 4-6 -- Two brothers whose parents have recently separated find solace in surreptitiously keeping a stray cat. Through observing the birth of her kittens and her maternal instincts, they come to understand their own mother's behavior. An insightful novel, rich in metaphor. (March 1994)
BAWDEN, Nina. The Real Plato Jones. Clarion. Tr $13.95. ISBN 0-395-66972-3; Puffin. pap. $4.99. ISBN 0-14-037947-9.
Gr 6-9 -- Plato unravels the mystery that connects his Welsh grandfather, a famous World War II spy, to his Greek grandfather, a traitor. Introspective, but buoyed by the boy's deadpan sense of humor, his wildly diverse relatives, and their deep ties to the past. (Nov. 1993)
CASEY, Maude. Over the Water. (Edge Bks.). Holt. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-8050-3276-2; Puffin. pap. $4.99. ISBN 0-14-037589-9.
Gr 6-9 -- English-born Mary's annual visit to her grandparents' farm in Ireland is fraught with tension this year. Her beloved grandfather has died, her younger siblings are nuisances, and her parents' rules are tyrannical. A lyrically written coming-of-age story. (June 1994)
COMAN, Carolyn. Tell Me Everything. Farrar. Tr $15. ISBN 0-374-37390-6; pap. $3.95. ISBN 0-374-47506-7.
Gr 6-8 -- Roz searches for a sign or a word--for any possible clue--that will give her mother's accidental death meaning. The girl's struggle, and her eventual release from grief, is intense, believable, and absorbing. (Nov. 1993)
DERBY, Pat. Grams, Her Boyfriend, My Family, and Me. Farrar. Tr $16. ISBN 0-374-38131-3.
Gr 6-10 -- The crazy antics of a family gone loco when a grandmother decides to marry; her son and her fiance's daughter disapprove. Wild situations result in an upbeat ending as her grandchildren take matters into their own hands and help Grams elope. (Nov. 1994)
DOHERTY, Berlie. White Peak Farm. Orchard Bks. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-531-05867-0; PLB $16.99. ISBN 0-531-08467-1; Beech Tree. pap. $3.95. ISBN 0-688-11864-X.
Gr 7 Up -- Interconnecting vignettes about the members of a farm family, young and old, linking their dreams, disappointments, and disillusionments. It's an involving story of love and nurturing, of acceptance and rejection, of growth and hardship that's as entertaining as it is down to earth. (Mar. 1990)
FINE, Anne. Flour Babies. Little, Brown. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-316-28319-3; Bantam. pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-440-21941-8.
Gr 7-9 -- A teenage boy comes to an understanding of his father's absence when he and his misfit classmates each becomes a "parent" of a 6-lb. sack of flour for a child-development project. Finely drawn characters, laugh-out-loud situations in a story told with as much sensitivity as gusto. (June 1994)
FINE, Anne. Step by Wicked Step. Little, Brown. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-316-28345-2.
Gr 4-7 -- An old diary found in a decrepit castle motivates five classmates whose parents are divorced to share their feelings and experiences. Wickedly wise, eerie, and right on target. (June 1996)
FOX, Paula. The Eagle Kite. Orchard. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-531-06892-7; PLB $15.99. ISBN 0-531-08742-5; Dell. pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-440-21972-8.
Gr 8 Up -- Liam's parents have kept him in the dark about aspects of their lives, but now that his father is dying of AIDS, the silence must end. A heartbreaking, poignant novel in which lies fall apart and truth emerges. (Apr. 1995)
FREEMAN, Suzanne. The Cuckoo's Child. Greenwillow. RTE $15. ISBN 0-688-14290-7.
Gr 5-8 -- After the disappearance of their parents, Mia and her sisters leave Beirut to live with their aunt in Tennessee. The girl's shattered illusions and loneliness are the core of this powerful novel. (Apr. 1996)
HALL, Barbara. Dixie Storms. HBJ. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-15-223825-5.
Gr 6-9 -- Dutch, 14, involves herself in family conflicts and strife before realizing that she cannot manipulate the lives of others, and that things are not always what they seem. Fully realized tempestuous characters who rage or withdraw eventually end their emotional drought and reach reconciliation. (Sept. 1990)
HAMILTON, Virginia. Plain City. Blue Sky: Scholastic. Tr $13.95. ISBN 0-590-47364-6; pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-590-47365-4.
Gr 6-8 -- Feeling alienated both at school and at home, Buhlaire is determined to find and claim the father she knows only through her family's lies. By learning the truth, she is able to open herself up to friendship and love. Emotionally charged, multilayered fiction. (Nov. 1993)
HENKES, Kevin. Words of Stone. Greenwillow. RTE $15. ISBN 0-688-11356-7; Puffin. pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-14-036601-6.
Gr 4-6 -- An emotionally scarred boy is able to break free of his crippling fears when he meets a brash, lonely girl who forces him to face himself. A story rich in characterization, dramatic subplots, and some very creepy moments. (Sept. 1992)
HERMES, Patricia. Mama, Let's Dance. Little, Brown. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-316-35861-4; Scholastic. pap. $2.99. ISBN 0-590-46633-X.
Gr 5-8 -- The very qualities that keep Mary Belle's own feet planted firmly on the ground while her mother and sister dance are those that enable her to take charge and face tragedy when she and her siblings are abandoned. A haunting novel of broken dreams and stalwart dedication. (Sept. 1991)
HOPKINS, Lee Bennett. Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life. illus. by Charlene Rendeiro. Wordsong: Boyds Mills Pr. RTE $14.95. ISBN 1-56397-467-3.
Gr 5 Up -- Spare poems explore the psyche of the author at age 13 and the shifting circumstances of a family in flux. In a sure voice, he reflects upon the devastation of divorce and the hope that a caring adult can inspire. (Sept. 1995)
KERR, M. E. Deliver Us from Evie. HarperCollins. Tr $15. ISBN 0-06-024475-5; PLB $14.89. ISBN 0-06-024476-3; pap. $3.95. ISBN 0-06-447128-4.
Gr 9 Up -- Life in Parr's Missouri farm community is labor intensive, family oriented, and inextricably tied to the mighty forces of nature until his older sister, Evie, falls in love with their landlord's daughter and the whole town is forced to confront their values. A-1 storytelling, capably delivered. (Nov. 1994)
MARINO, Jan. The Day that Elvis Came to Town. Little, Brown. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-316-54618-6; Avon. pap. $3.50. ISBN 0-380-71672-0.
Gr 6-8 -- Wanda's dull life becomes more exciting when her family takes in a glamorous boarder--until she learns that the light-skinned woman is black. Romantic fantasies and mistaken assumptions both play a part in this compelling story that exposes the injustice and heartbreak of racism. (Jan. 1991)
SACKS, Margaret. Beyond Safe Boundaries. Puffin. pap. $4.99. ISBN 0-14-034407-1.
Gr 6-10 -- South Africa in the 1950s is the home of a middle-class Jewish family whose safe, peaceful existence is shattered when the oldest daughter engages in anti-apartheid activities. The younger sister's transition from innocent child to wary, perceptive teen is masterfully chronicled, as she learns that the boundaries of political injustice are all-encompassing. (July 1989)
SHANNON, George. Unlived Affections. Alyson. pap. $8.95. ISBN 1-55583-299-7.
Gr 9 Up -- Reading letters from his father to his mother, Willie learns about his parents and is spurred to change from a cold, alienated observer in life to a caring, affectionate adult. While readers, like Willy, never meet his parents, Shannon makes them live through the letters. An honest, uncompromising novel of self-discovery and family lies. (Sept. 1989)
THESMAN, Jean. The Rain Catchers. Houghton. Tr $14.95. ISBN 0-395-55333-4; Avon. pap. $4.50. ISBN 0-380-71711-5.
Gr 7 Up -- A tribute to the power of story. Living with her extended family of women, Grayling learns the importance of storytelling in keeping the past alive, understanding others and herself, and getting through difficult times. A magnificent novel about unusual people whose personal recollections help them deal with sorrow as they celebrate life. (March 1991)
VOIGT, Cynthia. Seventeen Against the Dealer. Atheneum. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-689-31497-3; Fawcett. pap. $4.50. ISBN 0-449-70375-4.
Gr 8 Up -- The odds are stacked against inexperienced Dicey and her entrepreneurial endeavors in Voigt's reverberating conclusion to the Tillerman saga. A haunting story of personal conviction, professional compulsion, and the intricate relationships that bind families. (Feb. 1989)
VOIGT, Cynthia. When She Hollers. Scholastic. Tr $13.95. ISBN 0-590-46714-X; pap. $3.99. ISBN 0-590-46715-8.
Gr 9 Up -- Incisive prose delves into the shame, confusion, and despair a sexually abused teenager feels -- until the explosive day she decides to holler the truth and to summon the faith in herself she needs in order to survive. Riveting. (Nov. 1994)
WHITE, Ruth. Belle Prater's Boy. Farrar. Tr $16. ISBN 0-374-30668-0.
Gr 6-9 -- Following his mother's disappearance, Woodrow finds acceptance with his grandparents and adventure through his outgoing cousin. A vividly realized novel set in small-town Virginia. (Apr. 1996)
WOOD, June Rae. A Share of Freedom. Putnam. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-399-22767-9; Hyperion. pap. $4.95. ISBN 0-7868-1085-8.
Gr 5-8 -- A competent, independent girl, unable to keep her dysfunctional family together, comes to a sense of self and peace after accidentally discovering the identity of her father. An empowering adventure that encompasses rejection, acceptance, and the different connotations of the word freedom. (Oct. 1994)
