Hugging the Rock
By: Susan Taylor Brown
Poetry-Prose Fiction
Reading Level: Grade 5 and above
Rachel's mom runs away saying she can’t deal with things. Unable to believe that the world will go on turning, Rachel writes about her jumbled feelings in a diary after her bipolar mom leaves her and her father. Dad acts dazed and even the dog, Madison, mourns for weeks. Blaming herself, Rachel finds little comfort anywere. Healing finally begins when a photo album of Dad and Rachel surfaces and communication between an estranged father and daughter slowly blossoms. A year later, what happens when Mom makes contact?
Brown's use of prose to unfold a story based on an unusual topic successfully draws readers into the raw emotions and thoughts of a child experiencing a devastating and confusing loss. Skillfully, she weaves in threads of hope without diminishing the reality of the situation. As surely as winter turns into spring, this story brings readers to see how healing begins and how past hurts can become the foundations of new life. (Reviewed by Michelle.)
Berkeley, Toronto: Tricycle Press (2006).
ISBN 13: 978-1-58246-180-9. 170 pgs.
Check out the Kids' Page at: http://www.susantaylorbrown.com/kids.html
No comments:
Post a Comment