Come a Stranger [Hardcover]

Cynthia Voigt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1986 | Age Level: 10 and up

Mina's deep love for a grown-up minister drives her to seek a way to give him an unforgettable remembrance, restoration of his faith.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Mina is forced to give up her beloved ballet, it is only her relationship with minister Tamer Shipp that helps herand himgrow up. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up Mina Smiths, whom many readers will remember from Dicey's Song (Atheneum, 1982), takes center stage in this addition to the Tillerman saga and holds it with energy and spirit. The story takes her from age 10 to 15, following her from a youthful dancer, full of herself and her ambitions, to a wise and realistic young woman. The key to her growth is Tamer Shipp, a young pastor who drives her home from the station once she leaves the dance camp from which she has been dismissed, perhaps because puberty has harmed her talents, perhaps because she is black. When Tamer's honesty and understanding help her through the first pain, she begins to love him, forming a relationship which will be central to her perceptions of the world around her for the ensuing three summers. There is little plot here, but the story moves well, with the theme, Mina's changing view of the world and her place in it as a young black woman, carrying it in a rich current. The events are seen through Mina's eyes, as are the characters who, nonetheless, emerge with strong identities of their own. In the last third of the book, the Tillermans come into focus as Mina learns about Bullet (The Runner Atheneum, 1985) from Tamer, who loved and hated him. It is her relationship with the Tillermans and with Tamer which brings the story to its climax, as Mina finds a way to complete the circle, bringing a measure of peace to all. Voigt tells her story smoothly, getting inside of Mina's perceptions easily and believably. To catch the resonance of the story, it would be helpful to have read the earlier books about the Tillermans, although, except for minor lapses in character description and incident, this does stand well on its own. Voigt permits readers to know her characters in a way they rarely know people in real life. Christine Behrmann, New York Public Library
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 190 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; First Edition edition (September 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068931289X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689312892
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,800,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cynthia Voigt won the Newbery Medal for Dicey's Song and the Newbery Honor Award for A Solitary Blue, both part of the beloved Tillerman Cycle. She is also the author of many other celebrated books for middle-grade and teen readers, including Izzy, Willy-Nilly and Jackaroo. She was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1995 for her work in literature, and the Katahdin Award in 2004. She lives in Maine.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Voigt is probably one of the finest young adult writers..., June 29, 2000

By 

Malice - See all my reviews

This review is from: Come a Stranger (The Tillerman Series #5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Wilhemina Smiths (Mina), wants to dance. She's got liveliness, intelligence, zest for life, and determination; but she is also black. Voigt produces her usual not-out of the ordinary kaleidoscope of REAL people...and this is precisely what makes this book out of the ordinary. She presents Mina's emotions beautifully and level-headedly: her love of ballet, her keenness, her crush on/fascination with Tamer Shipp, her relationship with Dicey. The concluding sentences of the book are wonderfully ambiguous (at least a little). There's disappointment, triumph... It's just great.

Characters and scenes from the other books in the Tillerman Cycle overlap and are introduced through her own perspective. I'd recommend this book far more than "The Glory Field", and feel that it lived up to its potential and even surpassed my expectations.

Read it!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Come a Stranger, November 26, 2000

By 

Grace (North Bend, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Come a Stranger (The Tillerman Series #5) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mina Smith loves dancing, and when she gets accepted to the summer ballet school she thinks all of her dreams have come true. When she arrives at the school, she is the only black girl there. The other girls treat her differently, but Mina is too blind to notice. The next summer, she loses her coordination, gets sent home, and falls in love with the summer minister. In this book, Mina embarks on a journey to find herself, and comes to love dance even more than before.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Voight, no Stranger to good writing, August 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Come a Stranger (The Tillerman Series #5) (Mass Market Paperback)

What an amazing novel! Cynthia Voight proved her talent as an author with HOMECOMING, DICEY'S SONG, and ON FORTUNE'S WHEEL, but she proves herself to have amazing talent at understanding people. This book is told from the point of a black woman born and raised in Maryland. Though Voight is a white woman, her power of empathy, creates a realistic telling of the story in a way that crosses all race barriers. Voight reaches into her character Mina and retreives what counts; not color, not hardships, but soul. In expounding on the soul of her character, she deftly weaves through the events and people that have shaped Mina's life. She creates a wonderful compliment to the novel DICEY'S SONG and a excellent addition to the Tillerman saga. This novel reminds me vauguely of a phone conversation between Dicey and Mina in which we finally here Mina's end of the story. Details that Dicey overlooks, Mina fills in and vice versa. I would recommend this if you've enjoyed other novels in the Tllerman saga, and also as a jumping off point into the series. Please read it... I know you'll enjoy it.