Like the Willow Tree

December 15, 2010
"I am desolate," Lydia Pierce declares to her diary on her birthday, Oct. 4, 1918, because the motion-picture houses have been closed due to Spanish flu. In short order, she has great cause for desolation: Her parents and baby sister have all died, and she and her brother have been deposited with the community of Shakers at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, where in accordance with Shaker custom they are separated by gender and forced to relinquish their personal possessions. But Chosen Land is a balm to Lydia's spirit, and she adjusts quickly to the rhythms of life there. Working within the confines of the Dear America format, Lowry pens a tender, affecting portrait of a devout community in transition—one tenet of the Shaker creed is celibacy. The Sisters and Brothers emerge a little on the saintly side, but the author endows them with enough humanity that readers will join in Lydia's concern for their continued prosperity. As befits the setting and subject, the narrative is simple and heartfelt, presenting a snapshot of a unique American community. (historical note, photographs) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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February 1, 2011

Gr 3-6-Lydia Amelia Pierce, 11, and her older brother, Daniel, are sent to live in the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake, ME, after her parents die in the 1918 influenza epidemic. Lydia must become accustomed to living, working, and learning with the Shakers and the other orphaned or abandoned children cared for at the settlement. However, Daniel toys with the idea of running away, and does indeed leave for a time. Although Lydia worries about him, her time with the Shakers is marked by a sense of acceptance and appreciation for what she has. Effective use of detail and language immerses readers in Lydia's world, especially her life with the Shakers, making for a standout historical fiction read. The book covers just six months of the children's lives. Lydia grows and changes, but her development is slow and subtle as she learns to let go of her sorrow and appreciate the simple joys in life. Pages of historical notes and photographs at the end of the book provide thorough coverage of the epidemic as well as the Shakers and Sabbathday Lake. These notes are especially helpful in clarifying which parts of the story are real and which are fiction. Readers with a high interest in historical fiction or classes studying early 20th century America, and, of course, "Dear America" fans will appreciate this novel.-Heather Talty, Lower School Library, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2010
Grades 4-7 From the renewed Dear America series of historical-fiction diaries, this one belongs to 11-year-old Lydia Pierce. Lydias world turns upside down in 1918, when influenza kills her parents and baby sister. With no one left to care for her and her brother, they are taken to live with the Shakers in Maines Sabbathday Lake community. Since she has already lost so much, Lydia finds it hard to give up her favorite book and her grandmothers ring as communal property, but little by little, she adapts to her new home. Lowry writes with simplicity and sensitivity, bringing Lydias world to life through concrete details and making the childs resilience entirely believable. Unlike books in the original series, this one has the authors name on the cover, though like the earlier ones, it extends the fiction in an epilogue summarizing Lydias later life. The back matter also includes historical notes on the influenza of 1918 and the Shakers, a section of related photos, and a note on the author, including comments on her research. A fine addition.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)