The Scent of Lilacs

Starred review from October 1, 2005
Thirteen-year-old Jocie Brooke prays God will send her a dog and wishes her senile aunt would stop quoting scripture. The setting is semirural Kentucky. The story revolves around Jocie's dad, David, a newspaper editor and the "interim" pastor of a little Baptist church. Where is Jocie's mom? She left seven years ago, taking Jocie's older sister with her. David's strange marital status explains why he's always "interim" and also why he's so sad. Jocie gets her mutt, the onslaught of Bible verses is ameliorated, and real drama emerges as Jocie explores her family's secrets in this universal tale of growing up. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)