42 Miles by Tracey Vaughn Zimmer
Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI -- School Library Journal, 4/21/2008
From SLJ April 2008
ZIMMER, Tracey Vaughn. 42 Miles. illus. by Elaine Clayton. 80p. CIP. Clarion. Apr. 2008. Tr $16. ISBN 978-0-618-61867-5. LC 2007031032.
Gr 5-8–Caught between her divorced parents’ rural and city worlds, JoEllen approaches her 13th birthday with a growing definition and assurance of her personal identity. Half of her name is from her father, Joseph, who calls her Joey; the other half is from her mother, Eleanor, who calls her Ellen. "Now my days–/divided between them–/are as different as my names." The girl’s life, however, at each end of the 42 miles that separate her parents, is rich and complicated, and the author subtly develops JoEllen’s awareness: "The apple trees/share secrets./The ducks endlessly discuss/the quality of rain" ("Farm Nights"). "An ambulance wailing/cars cussing/cats calling/dogs delivering the news" ("Cincinnati Nights"). The poems meld together into a smooth story that ends with this invitation: "My favorite poems/hold a wooden spoon of words/and whisper:/Taste" ("The Poems I Like Best"). Mixed-media collage illustrations complement the subject of each poem and reinforce the complicated and changing moods of the story. Young people will appreciate this easy-to-read, empowering story.
