Child of the Mountains

February 15, 2012
While hoping for her jailed, single mother's appeal in 1953, an Appalachian Mountain girl from West Virginia finds her identity in this promising debut. "My mama's in jail. It ain't right. Leastwise, I don't think so," begins sixth-grader Lydia's spiral notebook, bought to help her sort through recent, tragic events. Her first-person narration, which unfolds in pitch-perfect, regional dialect, alternates present and past. In the former, she lives with her particular aunt and uncle and deals with the bullies at school who call her mother a murderer. In the past, she reveals that her little brother, BJ, has "Sissy Fie Broke It" and recounts both BJ's special treatments at a research hospital (which claims all rights to him) in Ohio and the family's decision to "kidnap" BJ to let him die from his cystic fibrosis at home. Complicating Lydia's already-stressful life are her passage into womanhood and a family secret about her relationship with the mother she's fighting to free. Her story occasionally makes a didactic dip, especially when relating court terminology and commenting on segregation of the time. Nevertheless, Lydia's comparisons to spunky Anne of Green Gables, unwavering faith, strong family ties and growing appreciation of her Appalachian heritage will secure middle-grade readers. For fans of Ruth White's and Kerry Madden's Appalachian-inspired fiction. (map, author's note) (Historical fiction. 9- 12)

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May 1, 2012

Gr 5-7-"Child killer's daughter." Ever since her mother's incarceration after the death of her younger brother, Lydia has had to face the ridicule and disdain of classmates and neighbors in her small West Virginia town. Sent to live with her flighty aunt and taciturn uncle, the sixth grader misses her mother and brother, who died from cystic fibrosis, and wants to clear her mother's name. But how? Lydia's regionally accurate and spirited voice tells the story of her family's joys and pain through flashbacks of warm scenes with her mother and brother that contrast with her present life with her aunt and uncle. The slow unraveling of the story makes this affecting novel compelling; the final revelations of the accusations against Lydia's mother are particularly heartbreaking. The cold, clinical, and condescending treatment of hospitalized children and their families in the 1950s is accurately portrayed. Christianity is important to this family, and, depending on the characters, it is represented as sometimes stern and sometimes loving. A surprise twist feels sudden, but believable for the times. Some historical facts and courtroom terms are not incorporated smoothly, which slows the fluidity of the story. An author's note provides relevant West Virginia history. Despite some rough edges, this is a sensitive novel about a smart, authentic, proud, and appealing Appalachian girl on the cusp of maturity.-Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
Grades 4-7 My mama's in jail. It ain't right. So begins 11-year-old Lydia Hawkins' first entry in her spiral-bound diary, which she keeps to help her puzzle out the events that led to her mother's unjust incarceration. It's 1953 in the Appalachian Mountains, and Lydia's first-person narration cycles back and forth between the presentliving with Uncle William and Aunt Ethel Maeand the recent past, when Mama was arrested for sneaking B. J., her son with cystic fibrosis, out of the hospital so that he could die at home. Although events of a new trial feel crammed into the novel's end, and a discussion of civil rights seems tacked on, this is a strong debut novel. The Appalachian regional dialect (Shank is a native West Virginian) is pitch-perfect, and Lydia, who feels that Anne Shirley is her kindred spirit, is much like her idol: strong, plucky, and resilient. A detailed author's note and map of the region is included.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)