Niner [Hardcover]

Theresa Martin Golding (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

An adopted child of an indeterminate race gains a greater appreciation of her place within her adoptive family. Macey lives in a racially diverse, struggling neighborhood in Philadelphia. Missing a thumb, she has been nicknamed "Niner" by her classmates. Her talented younger sister, Deena, is the natural child of their Irish American parents. Their mother has failed to return from a trip for almost a year and has not been in contact with the family for months. Macey cannot help but feel partly responsible: she did not turn out to be the "right" kind of adopted daughter, and from the color of her skin to her poor academics, she believes that she has never really fit in. She wonders who her birth parents are and worries that the genes she has inherited are controlling who she is and what she will become. Through a series of events, which all begin with the discovery of a broken locket on her front lawn, Macey comes to see that family bonds are more important than genes.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Darkness overshadows this coming-of-age story. Niner is the nickname Macey's classmates have given to her because she is missing a thumb. She has been with her adoptive family since she was six months old; before that she had two foster mothers. Macey eventually learns that her birth mother left her in a trash bag. She thinks that her sister, Deena, has all the advantages she lacks; she is blond and blue-eyed, smart, and the biological daughter in the family. Her attributes are in marked contrast to Macey's dark skin, wiry hair, and slow understanding. Still, they are very close. The family lives in a run-down part of Philadelphia that has the typical urban problems with drug dealers and gangs. Their mom has been gone for 10 months, and Macey worries that the woman left because of her. She befriends a new kid in town, Eugene, who is homeless, morbidly obese, and has no one to turn to. The sisters keep an incident involving a scary, menacing stranger who has been threatening them a secret from their father. They also have to deal with a racist grandmother. There are too many events here for one juvenile novel. The only positive message to emerge from all the pain is that Macey's dad finally convinces her that genes only determine outward appearances and that her feelings and heart are her own.—Lillian Hecker, Town of Pelham Public Library, NY
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From Booklist

Twelve-year-old Macey has lost many things: her birth parents, two foster mothers, and now her adoptive mother, who left a year ago. Nicknamed Niner because she only has nine fingers, Macey wonders if she has a “badness in her blood” that drives people away. After she discovers a broken locket in her yard, she is convinced it is a clue to the whereabouts of her adoptive mother, and with her younger sister, Deena, she sets out to solve the mystery, encountering scary thugs, the neighborhood bully, and a strange boy along the way. Golding takes on a little too much, addressing everything from asthma to homelessness to racial prejudice. The depiction of a bewildered youngster struggling to make sense of life’s incomprehensive events is effectively nuanced, though, and Macey’s guilt-laden voice is just right. The characterizations are distinctive, including Macey’s loving father, who tries to do his best. Foreshadowing ratchets up the tension, and readers will race to the conclusion, which solves the mystery but avoids pat answers. Grades 5-7. --Lynn Rutan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Front Street Press (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590785495
• ISBN-13: 978-1590785492
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,652,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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