From Publishers Weekly
Grove (Reaching Dustin) cuts social commentary with a hint of mystery in this story set in small town Quiver, Okla., during the early '60s. Although the local junior high is not officially segregated, it remains all white until an African-American girl, Celeste Chisholm, and her professor father move into the old Teschler place, a rambling house reputed to be haunted. Celeste's enrollment causes a rift among students, and for the first time, narrator Frannie Driscoll becomes aware of the strong undercurrent of prejudice in her community. Celeste's cruel reception jolts Frannie out of her own unwillingness to make waves, and she and Celeste become friends. Quiver's sunny image is gradually shattered for Frannie, especially when she learns the horrible truth about the Teschler place, where Ku Klux Klan lynchings were once organized. The secret past of Quiver will shock most readers; the author's acknowledgments, of anonymous neighbors who found Klan "rule books" hidden in their attic, speak to the authenticity of this powerful story. Ages 10-up. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9In this powerful coming-of-age tale, written with grace and poignancy, Grove transports readers to Quiver, OK, in 1961. Thirteen-year-old Frannie Driscolls world is turned upside down by the arrival of Celeste Chisholm, the first black student in the school. Celeste is ignored by most of her classmatesuntil she sings in choir with a voice that takes ones breath away. When both girls are chosen for a special vocal ensemble, their friendship blossoms. They practice together in an abandoned playground rocket ship, a place they go to get above things, but which is unable, finally, to isolate them from the racism of the town. Celestes father, a professor, is doing research on the house he has purchasedresearch that exposes the rituals of the Ku Klux Klan and uncovers how Celestes great-grandfather was tortured to death. Racism is not limited to the past, however. When the vocal ensemble, ironically called Ladies in Harmony, is invited to a very select competition, the town fathers manage to remove Celeste from the group, and Frannies feelings about her hometown are changed forever. Even as Celeste moves away, Frannie learns that friendship survives skin color. The characterizations, particularly of Frannie and Celeste, are strong and memorable. Grove richly evokes the era of the early 60s, from Dragnet and American Bandstand to teased hair, Vietnam, and the beginning of the Womens Movement. A wonderful, well-written, multilayered novel with lots of appeal.Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
