Farmed Out

September 15, 2011
Grades 6-9 Fifteen-year-old Maddie intends to win first prize in an art-magazine contest, which will pay for her dream trip to visit New York City's major art galleries. The problem? She hasn't started her drawing, the deadline is in a week, and her self-involved New Agey mother wants to spend that week experiencing the rewards of organic farming. Maddie soon finds herself at the Friesens' Quiet River Farm, where she shovels goat poop, gathers eggs, and silently curses her flaky mom, who turns out to like the idea of farming more than the work itself. Despite herself, Maddie realizes that farm living has its upsides, thanks to the Friesens' daughter, Anna, but the idea for an award-winning portrait eludes heruntil she meets Anna's prize cow, Frida. Goerzen writes well from a teen perspective, capturing Maddie's smart-alecky but self-conscious attitude, especially toward her oblivious mother. This entry into the Orca Currents hi-lo line is a quiet character piece, with minimal action and conflict and an uncomplicated resolution.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)