This was a lot of fun for me to read since my favorite genre is mysteries. I was so surprised with the ending! The author really had me fooled about Sal's mom and I was immediately drawn to search back through the story to see if I missed clues about her death. The brother for Phoebe was a shock too. I really thougt her mother was out for an affair with the mysterious stranger to spice up her dull existence managing the self-centered house hold she ran. It was a very touching finale. I am all about happy endings even though Sal's was a bit sad, it did give her closure and a chance to heal.
Comments (2)
I am so...shocked at how this book ended. Actually it brought tears to my eyes. The author did a wonderful job being suspenseful and not giving away the ending. I never saw it coming with the bus wreck and the mom being killed in the wreck. And poor Sal then has to deal with her Grandmother dying. That's a lot for anyone to have to deal with, but especially a child. Educator's definitely need to read this book ahead of time before reading it with students. There are a lot of lessons that could be taught from this book and also lots of life issues to deal with as well. Overall, this book was an excellent read. I did not want to put it down and would recommend to others.
Posted by Heather Travis | February 15, 2009 1:54 PM
Posted on February 15, 2009 13:54
Heather,
I agree that this is a book filled with questionalbe issues; at what age should this be addressed? I thought about this for a while. We can protect children, and shelter them, or we can lovingly, gently prepare them. Life, unfortunately, doesn't ask us for timing and convenience. Sad events and occurences happen to all of us when we least expect them to. So I began to realize, that young adults need to learn, by degrees, how to deal with life's great issues; death, loss, grief, sickness, isolation, healing, and making oneself whole again if at all possible. Some of us learn these lessons too early in life. Some of us are ill-prepared because we are never presented with these types of difficulties when we are younger. With sensitivity, caring, respect for diversity (Think of Sal's mother, and her nature loving heritage)we can help guide learners to find their own answers and places of contentment. We are really all on this journey, we are just somewhere at a different junction in the roadway. What a sad, tender story, but a revealing life lesson for all of us.
Posted by Annie Croon | February 16, 2009 12:04 PM
Posted on February 16, 2009 12:04