Small Bones

July 15, 2015
In a witty and believable 1964 Ontario, a foundling teen investigates the circumstances of her own birth. Sixteen-year-old Dorothy "Dot" Blythe knows she'd been found at the Benevolent Home for Necessitous Girls. What she hadn't known is that she'd been a premature infant no bigger than a woman's hand, wrapped in a coat from a shop in the town of Buckminster, bundled up with a sterling-silver mustard spoon. When the Benevolent Home burns down, the matron kindly packs Dot off to Buckminster, the coat and spoon her only guides to her past. Though Dot can't find her parents anywhere, she does find a job as a seamstress-and a lot of secretive townsfolk. It seems that the town's sordid past might be tied to Dot's own, so she enlists the help of a flirtatious townie and aspiring journalist to ferret out Buckminster's secrets. Oddly enough, several older locals react strangely when they first meet Dot. The novel has an eerie, slow build, with a sense of danger increasing with each secret unearthed, but it collapses into a dissatisfyingly simple and light revelation. Nonetheless, this mystery stimulates while showcasing its mid-20th-century Canadian setting. Buckminster teen life in 1964 includes drinking, sex, and "lighting farts on fire," challenging simplistic interpretations of the Donna Reed era. Clues come at just the right pace for the readers to crack the puzzle right along with the protagonist in this mystery, one of seven linked novels publishing simultaneously. (Historical mystery. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-Each installment in this hi-lo series is based on the experiences of one of the seven oldest girls living at an orphanage. After their home burns down, each teen is given a small amount of money and whatever tokens were with her at the time of her arrival at the institution. While all originate at the home for girls, their paths diverge wildly as they each search for their own origins. In Small Bones, talented seamstress Dot has no problem finding a job and place to live in the Dunbrae Arms resort. She was left on the steps of the orphanage as a baby with just a spoon in her hand and swaddled in an army jacket, clues that lead her to her new home. Soon, with the help of Eddie, a local, Dot figures her origins may be more complex (and threatening) than she ever imagined. Conversely, in Shattered Glass, Toni has physical reminders of her past. She was the victim of a fire as a baby and has the scars to prove it. All she knows is that she needs to get to Toronto, where she knows the fire took place. What she finds is a kindly if troubled landlady and other neighbors who are fighting their own battles. Toni's search for her mother will lead her in unexpected directions and pair her with unlikely allies. With their accessible themes, these short titles are great for reluctant readers interested in the 1960s. VERDICT Highly readable historical fiction.-Morgan Brickey, Arlington Public Library, TX

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2015
Grades 6-9 When the Benevolent Home for Necessitous Girls, the place Dot has called home for 17 years, burns to the ground in 1964, Dot must venture out into the world. She heads to the one place that might hold clues about her birth: Buckminster, Ontario. Dot knows only that she was left at the orphanage, wrapped in a cashmere coat tailored locally. Unfortunately, the tailor shop has long since closed. Still she is determined to learn all she can and so takes a job as a seamstress at the local summer resort. It is there that Dot uncovers clues about the identity of her parents and, perhaps, even discovers a new life for herself. Dot's tale is part of the Secrets series: seven books that tell the stories of the girls who leave the home and travel in search of their identities. If this volume is any indication, they will be effective mixtures of historical fiction, mystery, and romanceand good fodder for high/low readers as well. A smart graphic design and dedicated website should further interest in the concept.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)