Plot Summary: What happens, When & Where, Central Characters, Major Conflicts
Jocie loves her life as a 13 year old in Hollyhill Kentucky. It's 1964 and her Dad is the best Dad ever--he lets her help out at the weekly newspaper that he manages, and it's even not too bad being a preacher's kid. Except for having to be nice to Ronnie Martin. The only bad things are that her mother ran away with her sister Tabitha when Jocie was just a baby, and that she doesn't have a dog. So after Jocie's dog prayer is answered unexpectedley, she begins to wonder if the sister prayer will be too. So when it is Jocie is overjoyed, but then Tabitha's arrival begins to uncover secrets about the past. These secrets friends and give Jocie a lot to deal with, from her Aunt Love's secret past, to her fried Wes and where he actually came from, to her Dad's new friend Leigh, and worst of all, the accusations made about her own parentage.


Style Characterisics: Pacing, clarity, structure, narrative devices, etc.
The feel of the novel captures a small rural town in the 1960's. Jocie's problems are familiar, although the amount of drama going on in her life all at once is a bit extreme. It makes for a good story though. Jocie and her father are endearing, and even the other characters have their loveable quirks, espcially the motorcycle riding "Jupiterian" Wes. The interventions of God are described with a subtilty that is quite believable. At times the ability of this family to overcome hardships seems a bit unreal though, they struggle a bit with doubt, but are quick to recover.


How Good is it?
A nice, gentle, endearing read. Starred review in Booklist ( )