A Share of Freedom [Hardcover]

Rae Wood (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

Terrified of being separated from her brother after an alcoholic binge lands her mother in a treatment program, Freedom Jo Avery runs away, but her plan misfires, leading to the discovery of her long-lost father and a reevaluation of her mother's struggles.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With her alcoholic mother frequently incapacitated, 13-year-old Freedom has learned to look out for herself and her younger half-brother, Jackie. Fearing that they will be sent to a foster home after Mama is put in a rehabilitation program, Freedom and Jackie run away. But their bid for independence turns into a fiasco, and the children are soon placed in the home of Martin and Ona Mae Quincy. There Freedom has to share a room with sneering classmate Laura Nell, Martin's niece; Ona Mae is resentful; and Martin, "the Inspector General," never stops criticizing his son, thus earning a negative score on Freedom's father-rating scale. Small wonder that she is horrified when she discovers that Martin is her own biological father. But once Freedom learns the full truth of the past, she stops feeling as though "the fabric of my life came from somebody's ragbag." Narrated by Freedom, Wood's (The Man Who Loved Clowns) witty and well-crafted novel flows briskly. And, although laced with emotion, it never betrays the gritty sensibilities of its "smart-mouthed and bullheaded" protagonist. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Freedom, born on the 4th of July, struggles for love and recognition from her alcoholic mother and to keep their impoverished family together. Never having known her father, she yearns for him. Her world falls apart when her mother is sent away for treatment, and even loving next-door-neighbor Effie can't protect her and her younger brother, Jackie, from social services' intervention. After a week of wilderness hiding, the youngsters turn themselves in to the authorities. They are then taken in by the Quincy family, one of whom is Freedom's arch-enemy, Laura Nell. There's something mysterious here, and Freedom gathers clues that unlock the secrets of her mother's earlier years and finally reveal the identity of her father. In finding her new family, she learns to open herself to others and to accept their faults as well as her own. Wood's novel offers a credible, likable character who yearns for "the hole in my soul" to be mended. It is fast-paced and engaging enough to be read as an adventure. Told in the first person, the narrative is natural and contemporary. Even the surrounding characters are multidimensional, adding satisfying layers of complexity to the plot. Pair this fast-paced tale with Paula Fox's Monkey Island (Orchard, 1991) for a stimulating comparison of books with similar themes and different resolutions.
Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; 1St Edition edition (October 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399227679
• ISBN-13: 978-0399227677
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,996,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book, October 10, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Share of Freedom (Paperback)

This book is about a girl named Freedom who has a mother that drinks alot. She tries to find the mystery of her father and learns that her mother (Mary Margret) has fainted of drinking! She is sent for a treatment center and Freedom and her brother jackie are sent to a foster home.They run away from home for about a week and then comes back with having new foster parents. Somehow one of the people are her father! If you want more details read now!

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars June Rae Wood writes another great one!, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Share of Freedom (Hardcover)

This book is the best book June Rae Wood has ever written. Well, I think so. It is about two kids, one 13 and one who is 9 or 10. They have a mother who drinks way to much and the cildren try to stop her, but they can't. The cildren run away and find living on their on isn't that easy. If you want to know more read this fantastic book!