A Home for Goddesses and Dogs

Starred review from December 9, 2019
After her single mother’s protracted illness and death, 13-year-old narrator Lydia moves to a rural Connecticut town to live with her matter-of-fact aunt Brat, her buoyant wife Eileen, their greyhound, and their elderly landlord, Elloroy. Soon after she arrives, they adopt a rambunctious rescue dog, Guffer, but Lydia isn’t a dog person, and it takes time for her to warm to him. Formerly homeschooled by her mother, she must also adapt to the tiny school, where she eventually forms close friendships. Secrets prove a strong thread, including Lydia’s missing dad and the rehabilitation of two maimed pygmy goats. Lydia has her own secret, too: she initially conceals paper collages of goddesses (e.g., the Goddess of Gratitude, the Goddess of the Third Heart) that Lydia and her mother created from salvaged objects to “cope and to keep hope” as her mother’s heart grew weaker. When she shares these creations with both family and new friends after a mishap, their reaction to her revelation intensifies their bonds. Though the narrative’s leisurely pace fits within the slow, tight-knit community, it can meander. What stands out is the narrative’s essential kindness, as Lydia heals and rediscovers the meaning of home and family. Ages 10–up.

Starred review from January 1, 2020

Gr 5-8-Thirteen-year-old Lydia has experienced more than her fair share of heartache in her young life; her father left the family six years earlier, leaving Lydia with her mother who was dying of a weakened heart. Lydia's mother homeschooled her so they could treasure their remaining time together, which they did until her death. Now Lydia is uprooted to rural Chelmsford, CT, to live with her mother's sister Bratches (Brat), Brat's wife Eileen, and the 90-something landlord of the farm house, Elloroy. The one familiar thing Lydia has brought with her is a box of goddesses-which are collages she and her mother made from old photographs and ephemera from flea markets. The same week Lydia arrives, Brat and Eileen take in a big yellow rescue dog, whom they name Guffer. It seems Guffer is more trouble than he's worth-he urinates in the house, runs away into the woods, and is scared of everything. Lydia, who is not a dog person, tries to help, but wonders if her new family has an affinity for damaged rescues like herself and the dog. Lydia joins the small 8th-grade class (12 students) at the local school, and despite her initial unwillingness to open her heart, she finds new friends in Sari and Raya. The girls show Lydia how to snowshoe and teach her all about the local farming community. Lydia has secrets that she isn't yet willing to share with her new friends or family, including her goddesses, the unopened cards from her absent father, ailing pygmy goats, and a first crush. Beautifully woven story lines and characters mesh together as Lydia, Guffer, the goats, and her family all start to heal from the inside out. VERDICT Connor (Waiting for Normal, The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle) has an innate ability to broach difficult subjects with gentleness, and the myriad strong female characters will be embraced by readers seeking heroines to cheer for.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2019
After her mother succumbs to heart disease, 13-year-old Lydia goes to live with her mother's older sister, Aunt Brat, and her wife, Eileen, in their small Connecticut town. Almost immediately the loving couple adopts a large rescue dog that becomes mostly Lydia's responsibility. The unfortunate animal isn't even housebroken, and Lydia's most decidedly not a dog person, so caring for Guffer is challenging. So is trying to be cordial--but not too friendly--with her 12 eighth grade classmates. Previously home-schooled, Lydia's not quite ready for the friend thing. Secrets, like who could have been responsible for maiming two baby goats or why Brat is secretly caring for them at a neighbor's farm, complicate life. Background plotlines (an angry neighbor who hates Guffer, Lydia's absent father, and the cause of Guffer's anxieties) all gradually evolve. Similarly, Lydia slowly learns to cope with her grief, sometimes aided by spending time with "the goddesses"--artistic collages of strong women that she and her mother crafted. Gentle, fully fleshed characters (most seemingly white) are lovingly drawn in this long tale of healing, but the pacing is sometimes frustratingly slow. Although she's clearly intelligent, Lydia's first-person narrative often seems more like the voice of an adult than a young teen. In spite of these minor flaws, her poignant tale is engaging and uplifting. An almost-orphan and a rescue dog share lots of heart in a winsome coming-of-age story. (Fiction.10-13)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Patricia Santomasso narrates the first-person story of Lydia, a 13-year-old who cared for her artistic single mother during a long illness, which ended with her death. Santomasso depicts Lydia's contained grief and resignation as she travels to a rural town to live with her mother's sister, Aunt Brat. Lydia is quickly surrounded by the love of Aunt Brat and her wife, Elloroy, their aged landlord, and a large rescue dog. Lydia's classmates accept her readily, but Lydia is quiet and reticent after being homeschooled her whole life, not to mention being haunted by memories of her mother. Santomasso conveys the tension that comes from Lydia's grief, loneliness, and secrets she keeps about the past. Just as strongly, Santomasso captures Lydia's eventual acceptance of the love that surrounds her. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine