Grade 5-8-- Cory, an 11-year-old foster-home misfit, and Carlotta, an aged former circus trouper, make an unlikely duo. But they are drawn together by mutual needs--his for love and acceptance, hers for freedom from a deathlike nursing home. He helps Carlotta escape undetected, and together they embark on golden days of freedom. Carlotta takes charge at first, providing for Cory from her tiny reserve of funds and teaching him sound survival skills. Gradually, however, responsibility shifts to him. When a frenzied concession stand job overtaxes Carlotta's limited strength and she is hospitalized, a concerned Cory must arrange for the future care of his newfound "grandmother." A desperate call to his social worker reunites Cory with his former foster parents, who offer to share their home with Carlotta too. Readers know, long before Cory does, that Carlotta is too frail for the pace their runaway existence requires, and they will realize that the Keppermans are right for Cory, reaching out to him with a love that is genuine. Radley ably conveys through a dialogue-filled narrative the inner compulsions and emotions that direct each of the characters. Their bravado, hesitancy, and aching near misses make the story poignantly memorable. --Katharine Bruner, Brown Middle School, Harrison, TN
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Foster child Cory, 11, has recently been placed with Michele and Dan, a young couple anxious to please. Accustomed to moving around, Cory can't believe that they really want him, especially when he learns that Michele is pregnant. He runs away with new friend Carlotta--who, at 75, hates the antiseptic life of a nursing home and welcomes the ``golden days'' of traveling with Cory. But she's already frail and quickly becomes ill, ending up in the hospital. Michele and Dan track the runaways down and invite Carlotta--now officially Cory's ``family''--to live with them, too. Predictable (all the signals for a happy ending are in place well before Cory runs off) but satisfying: Cory and Carlotta are an amiably resourceful pair, while the oft-played story of an orphan finding a home is always worth hearing one more time. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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