H. M. Bouwman

Beautifully written and just as tragic as life often is. It’s a glorious exploration of emotions — from the itchy boredom of rural teen life and the community we do not choose, to the exquisite embarrassment of crushes, to the terrible reconciliation with grief on both a personal and worldwide scale, and the fury that erupts when we are confronted with our own failings. Really well done.

First sentence: A barn is almost the best place in the world to think, if you live on a farm and have nowhere else to go.

Premise/plot: Scattergood is historical fiction set in 1941 in Iowa. Peggy, our heroine, is coming of age at a rough time. Her cousin/best friend, Delia, has been diagnosed with leukemia and given less than six months to live. The ever-logical-and-scientific Peggy is determined to cure her friend of her disease and prove the doctors wrong. Meanwhile, Peggy is absolutely show more SMITTEN with a Jewish refugee, Gunther, and has started hanging around with the refugees at Scattergood--something to do with Quakers taking in refugees. Likewise, Joe, a long-time family friend is absolutely smitten with Peggy. Gunther, in due course, is smitten with another girl. In all three cases of smitten-ness, it is one-sided. The ages of all vary, but Peggy is definitely the youngest just a few months shy of thirteen when the novel opens. (The guys, I believe are around sixteen.) As the months go by, Peggy dwells on anything and everything that makes life unfair and unbearable.

My thoughts: I wanted to enjoy this one. It is set at a time period I usually almost always enjoy reading. It is a coming of age story, historical fiction--both good indicators. I just found nearly all the characters a little off-putting. Though perhaps they were meant to be? show less

Two very different families learn to live together in this new beginning chapter book series.

Eleanor is not happy about moving; they have to share a house with another family (it's a two-level duplex), she had to leave her treehouse behind, and her fish, Scrumpy the Fourth, died on the way. When she meets Owen, she's intrigued; he's homeschooled, has some cool ideas, and is very excited to have a new friend his own age right there! Eleanor decides he's just the right person to help in her show more plan... to run away back to her old home.

It's very rare to find children's literature where faith is included in the story; not as a proselytizing tool or the focus, but as an everyday part of life. There are almost as few books that include homeschooling! Eleanor's family is black and conventionally religious; Owen's family is white and have a more general spirituality. The kids ask matter of fact questions - that's not the way we pray, why are you homeschooled - and talk casually with their parents about religious ideas. It doesn't overshadow the main plot of the story, which is quirky Eleanor's determination to bury Scrumpy back at her old house (and move back there) and Owen's worries about keeping his new friend. Black and white sketches, mostly of various items, are scattered throughout the book.

Verdict: This stands out as a well-written book with a strong sense of diversity and inclusion. The humor and plot will also appeal to young readers who will be able to recognize their own concerns and trials throughout the story. Definitely fills a gap in beginning chapter books; strongly recommended.

ISBN: 9781506439723; Published 2018 by Sparkhouse Family/Beaming Books; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

In 1941, 12-year-old Peggy's life is turned upside down by refugees, first love, and a heartbreaking diagnosis. An Iowa farm girl, Peggy's life has never been exciting, but a lot changes. Her friend Joe starts acting strange. The Quaker hostel nearby reopens to house Jewish refugees from Europe, including a handsome boy named Gunther and a troubled professor. Her cousin and best friend is diagnosed with leukemia--and doesn't know it. Peggy has always been rational, but she believes she can show more find a way out of this mess for both of them. And yet the more she tries to control, the more powerless she feels. She can't make Gunther see her the way she sees him. She can't help the Professor find his missing daughter. She's tired of feeling young and naive. This is a historical novel that presents a girl battling her shortcomings and the random nature of life. For grades 4-6, or ages 10 and up. show less