Anna Casey's Place in the World

October 15, 2001
Gr. 6-8. Twelve-year-old Anna has a rock from each place she's been; death and divorce have left her with no more relatives. She's placed in foster care in Tallahassee, with a pinched but well-meaning woman who also fosters Eb--younger, asthmatic, acerbic. Eb wants nothing more than to be back with his feckless mom; Anna is heartsore and wants a place where she belongs. As they go through the summer, they meet the neighborhood kids, befriend a homeless Vietnam vet, and hang out with Miss Johnette, a local teacher whose home resembles a natural history diorama. Anna has inner pluck and outer charm: she's been through a lot, but knows what needs to be done. Evocative descriptions bubble up from a deep reality: Miss Johnette laughing from her belly "like a man"; Eb "scooched up" against a car door. And places are found, if not the ones both kids thought they wanted.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)