Twelve-year-old Christine discovers a wonderful secret on her father's South Dakota farm--an unexplored cave with a secret of its own--something that might save her family from the drought and Depression that threaten to destroy the farm.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7-Twelve-year-old Christine's life on a South Dakota homestead affected by both a drought and the Depression seems constricted, difficult, and dusty. While her younger brother Michael struggles for each asthmatic breath and baby William wails an infant's typical demands, the girl's tired parents battle to survive. To vent her frustration, Christine pounds a rock repeatedly against a crusty hillside and is astonished to break into a cave. It is coolly wet, mysteriously windy, and wonderfully beautiful. Together, she and Michael find fish, waterfalls, and crystalline rooms. When their father discovers the amethyst geodes they have brought home, he demands to know where they came from, and Christine, wanting to protect the place from humanity's destructiveness, refuses to tell. Detailing the Blue Willow plates, the Orange Crush sign, and funeral-parlor calendar, Karr excels in re-creating time and place. Her sweet, well-crafted story of a family forced to be tough by the extremes of nature can stand well on its own, but she also sketches an interesting ecological debate. Christine's father believes God has given man dominion over the Earth and exhausts every resource of the farm in driven determination to care for his family. Christine feels people may make the perfect less perfect and eventually bring nature to ruin. The truth, of course, lies somewhere in between, and only when father and daughter share their despair and fear does true reconciliation take place. The Cave is lyrically serious.
Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 4-7. Dust rules the Depression-era farm of Christine's South Dakota family. It chokes Christine's brother, who suffers from asthma, and threatens to force the family from their home. The cave Christine discovers in the foothills is at first only a refuge, but when she and her brother explore it, they find water. Christine feels the cave is God's gift and should be protected, yet she wants, above all, to stay on the farm. Natural forces intervene so that the fate of the family does not rest on the 12-year-old's shoulders, but Christine's struggle to choose is interesting nonetheless. Karr creates an active and believable girl in the throes of both physical and emotional change--a sort of Depression-era Caddie Woodlawn--and sets her in a historical background deftly seen from a child's angle. Mary Harris Veeder
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing Ending,
By Donna (South Dakota) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cave (Hardcover)
My family read The Great Turkey Walk by this same author and enjoyed it immensely, we were intrigued therefore by this book but were greatly disappointed. If you think the preserving of natural resources is more important than the welfare of human beings, then you will greatly appreciate this book. However, if you, like us, feel that creation although to be respected is also for the physical benefit of humans for survival, you will be greatly disappointed with this book. Not only is the main character's beginning of menstruation dealt with in the book, but she also speaks with defiance to her father who is trying to help their family survive the dust bowl years and it is portrayed as appropriate.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful coming of age story from the dust bowl era,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Cave (Hardcover)
This is one of my daughter's and my favorite books. It tells the story of an adolescent girl coming of age during the dust bowl. While her family prepares to leave their homestead if rain doesn't come within the week, the girl and her brother discover and explore a cave which contains valuable geodes. They must decide whether to reveal the existence of the cave to their father, or to keep it secret in order to preserve it from the same destruction that the surrounding woods have met at the hands of desperate settlers. This book is an excellent read aloud book for advanced 6 year olds and up, or an excellent read for 9+ year olds. Be forewarned, though, that there are several pages that deal with the onset of menstration.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Vivid Coming of Age Story,
By
This review is from: The Cave (Hardcover)
The Cave masterfully combines a vivid depiction of early plains life with the coming of age story of an adolescent girl. Juxtaposing the excitement of exploring a secret cave with the angst of puberty, every moment of this story feels real. It also incorporates themes about balancing a family's welfare with protecting the environment. While the ending may provide too easy a solution, My daughter and I enjoyed every moment of this exciting story.
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