From Publishers Weekly
Samantha often feels more like her mother's husband than her daughter: 11-year-old Sam keeps track of the money; she navigates when they drive; and she feels decidedly plain next to Elizabeth's feminine good looks. Sam finds herself "wishing Elizabeth was more like other people's moms," wishing the two of them didn't move around so much, wishing they could develop ties to other family members. These wishes threaten to become true when the two stay at the Colorado ranch of Elizabeth's father--to whom she hasn't spoken since Sam's birth. Allowing Sam to narrate, Hermes ( Mama, Let's Dance ) portrays an emotionally strong, intuitive and intelligent girl's increasing consciousness, and ultimate acceptance, of her mother's weaknesses. Her protagonist's situation is all too familiar--a parent who "acts like a kid" and a kid who doesn't feel like one--and she gives it a particularly subtle and complex treatment. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7-Samantha's mother, Elizabeth, is a free spirit,"...blown like a leaf on a breeze." Her 11-year-old daughter wants only to stay put and have someone she can count on. Widowed and estranged from her father, Elizabeth is a dilettante who refuses responsibility and moves from apartment to apartment, always seeking something new. Sam is the adult by default. When Elizabeth announces that they will be heading for Colorado to her father's ranch, the child hopes against hope that they will find a home. In the traditional sense, it is. But when Elizabeth is ready to move on, Sam must determine what home really means to her, and in the end decides she belongs with her mother. Vivid characters abound-Sam's grandfather, his new wife, and Sam's Western companion, Nick, are complex and pleasingly imperfect. The self-centered and remote Elizabeth, however, is less credibly drawn. Told in the first person, the prose has a sense of immediacy, but much of the plot development is internal as the girl grows toward her resolution. Descriptions of the ranch convey the panorama through her eyes and her fierce affection for the mountains' terrain and wildlife. Though lacking the complexity of the author's Mama Let's Dance (Little, 1991), Someone to Count On shares a distinct regional flavor, compelling characters, and a story line with a bittersweet twist.
Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MACopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
