The Great Upending

December 15, 2019
A family struggles to keep their farm afloat and to afford medical care for 12-year-old Sara, who has a heart condition due to a disorder called Marfan syndrome. Sara and her younger brother, Hawk, are kids who have grown up accustomed to being competent and useful, and their drought-stricken farm, which has been in their family for generations, can use all the help it can get. Since she feels she's letting her family down, it's particularly hard for Sara to cope with her diminished physical abilities, and when surgery becomes inevitable, she and Hawk hatch a wild scheme to raise the necessary funds that involves their mysterious, elderly tenant, known to them as The Mister. Lyrical first-person narration from Sara's perspective--presented in short chapters that occasionally almost take the shape of brief poems--takes its time setting the stage for this tender, classic mystery. The rural Pennsylvania setting and family traditions, such as making half a dozen pies in one go, often feel like throwbacks in time though the novel is contemporary. Older middle graders and young teens with a taste for literary fiction will savor the language and appreciate the quirky, sympathetic characters, who are mostly white, or assumed to be, as race or ethnicity is not specified. Kephart describes her research and writing process in a closing note. A meandering, gentle, lovely tale of a deeply bonded family, replete with a clever mystery. (Fiction. 10-12)

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 13, 2020
This warmhearted, meandering novel about a tight-knit Pennsylvania farm family also offers a mystery. Twelve-year-old Sara suffers from Marfan syndrome, which makes her tall and thin (“I’m a body built out of stretch”), and strains her lungs and heart so that she desperately needs surgery. Kephart (Wild Blues) keenly conveys the stark economic reality of the drought-ridden farm, intensified by a devastating fire that burns their shed and hay supply, and the intense financial pressure Sara’s family faces just to survive, let alone afford additional medical expenses. Sara and her younger brother, Hawk, become increasingly interested in the older man who rents their renovated barn and about whom questions emerge when a big-city editor visits the farm. Though the mystery proves less believable than it might, the literary tone and occasional poemlike chapters convey palpable emotion alongside the strong portrayal of the siblings’ relationship, the intertwined family, and the effects of Sara’s disease. Ages 11–14.

March 1, 2020

Gr 5-8-Twelve-year-old Sara and her brother, Hawk, live on a farm in rural Pennsylvania that is experiencing a drought. In order to earn extra income, Sara's parents renovate an old corn silo into a living space, and their first tenant arrives with an air of mystery. Sara and Hawk call him The Mister and watch his every move while helping their parents run the farm. They soon learn that The Mister is a world-famous author and illustrator of a best-selling children's book series-who is fighting with his publishing company. As new fans of his work, Sara and Hawk are invested in advocating for him even if it means they are inviting a world of trouble. But Sara's world is already full of trouble. Not only is her family worried about their farm, they are also terrified about her deteriorating health. She needs surgery on her heart, which has been weakened due to Marfan syndrome. The surgery is expensive, the doctors who are up to the task are out of state, and time is not on their side. With the uncertainty of Sara's surgery hanging over their heads, the siblings journey to New York City to save the ending of The Mister's book series, which may just end up saving Sara's life too. With exquisite language, the author vividly conveys the beauty of a family farm full of life. Dialogue is spare, which fuels the narrative's emotional arcs and imbues each character's purpose with urgency. VERDICT Readers will be drawn into the lush descriptions of setting and moved by the characters' devotion to their passions whether they be land, art, or one another. Highly recommended purchase for school and public library collections of all sizes.-Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2020
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Sara is a wordsmith. Although she's overly tall, has a weak heart, and has poor sight (all due to a condition called Marfan syndrome), she's sensitive to the world around her. She's especially loyal to her brother, Hawk, and his belief that the mysterious "Mister" renting their parents' renovated silo/guesthouse holds the key to some sort of good fortune. It's a fortune the Scholl family needs because, as Sara notes, "Farms are full of losing. Fruit to flies, seeds to breeze, chicks to coons, fences to time, crops to drought." Hard times are compounded when the hay barn burns down after the family gets the news that Sara needs an expensive operation?and soon. Then Hawk learns that an editor is desperately trying to reach the Mister, even offering a reward to deliver a letter to him. Despite their parents' warning about the Mister's privacy, Hawk and Sarah start digging into his identity. As the siblings' snooping puts the Mister in a new light, they journey to New York City to plead his case for artistic freedom as the author of a well-known series awaiting a sequel. Further plot twists lead to an unexpected ending, which readers who love good storytelling and spirited heroines will find satisfying. National Book Award nominee Kephart's latest is ultimately as refreshing as rainfall on a dry field.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)