Lifting the Sky

April 1, 2009
Gr 5-7-When Blue Gaspard's mother hires on at an isolated Wyoming ranch bordering Native lands, the place looks amazingly like the girl's fantasy home. The colored lights Blue has always seen around people and objects are much stronger, and she finds that her own lights, when focused, have the power to ease pain and induce healing in people and animals. Despite the perfect fit, she's sure her mom will have the itch to move on soon, something she's done routinely since Blue's dad left them years before. Meanwhile, Blue tends to orphaned calves, connects emotionally with a Native boy named Shawn, and enacts a plan to locate her father. Her artistic bent, mystical power, and internal musings are interspersed with outdoor action and ranch scenes. While a number of issues are piled on, from alcoholism to abandonment and Native rights to the first stirrings of romance, Blue's personality is well developed and offsets some of the too easily resolved problems that are introduced. This novel will feed the imaginations of kids who have never made it out of the city or suburbs and will have regional appeal in the rural West."Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL"

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