The inspiration for the title of Hermes's (Heads, I Win) heart-tugging novel, set during WWII, comes from the 11-year-old narrator's favorite song: "In the sweet by and by,/ we will meet on that beautiful shore." Blessing has been raised by her grandmother, Monnie, in their Tennessee mountain home; her father and grandfather died in a mine accident before she was born, and her mother passed away when she was two. Now Monnie's heart is failing and she is rarely strong enough to play the fiddle that she and Blessing love so much. Hermes insightfully portrays Blessing's pervasive fear of her beloved grandmother's impending death. Monnie has spoken to different mountain families about taking in Blessing, and leaves it to Blessing to choose where she will live; all of them are warm if off-center (one set of adults communes with animals, another has a "half-baby, half-child" named Child whom Blessing thinks "is so creepy," etc.). As Monnie forces discussions of Blessing's future, Blessing thinks, "That didn't mean I had to let her words get inside of me. I began making music in my head, a busy bee-like kind of humming to shut out the bad things she was saying." As Monnie weakens, Blessing beseeches God to save her grandmother: "All around us were miracles, the flowers, the snow, the mountain, babies being born . I just needed one more, my very own. Maybe He would do it, give me the one thing I really, really needed." A gracefully composed story of love, loss and courage. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-Set in the mountains of Tennessee, Hermes's novel of intergenerational love and loss is filled with memorable characters and heart. Eleven-year-old Blessing has lived with her grandmother since she was orphaned at age two. Their lives have been rich with stories, music, and love, but now Monnie is old and her heart is weak. The child doesn't want to think about life without her grandmother, but the old woman wants to prepare her for the inevitable. This means choosing a family to live with after she passes on. When Blessing decides to "spy" on each of her prospective new families, readers get a glimpse into three unique households peopled with gentle, quirky mountain folk: a husband and wife with a "harmed kind of child" called "Child"; a sprawling family of too many children and too few beds; and a kindly brother and sister who live and communicate with animals. Other supporting characters include an empathetic town doctor and a best friend weathering family troubles of her own. Readers will understand Blessing's feelings of denial, anger, fear, and anxiety as she witnesses her grandmother's decline, and admire the woman's courage and determination in the face of death. Likewise, they will relish the 11-year-old's adventure driving the car into town and cheer when she stands up to a contemptible social worker. Written in poetic prose, this heartfelt story about saying good-bye and carrying on is reminiscent of Ruth White's Belle Prater's Boy (Farrar, 1996).
Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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