Reviews

Carnegie Medalist Mark's latest is a simple, unpretentious story of reconciliation and understanding between a young girl and her stepfather. When Amy's grandfather becomes ill, her mother must leave to stay with her grandmother, and Amy is left in the care of her stepfather, Richard. Richard is a longhaul truck driver, and he decicdes to take Amy on his route with him. Amy is both frightened and embarrassed, and Richard is irritated by her lack of self-esteem. Slowly, as Richard's route takes them to the north of England, Amy and Richard learn about each other, and at the end of the story, Amy has gained confidence and Richard an ally. The story's simplicity is marred by the extensive use of British terms and phrases, not all of them adequately explained in the glossary. A pleasant story, whose setting is more confusing than enhancing. (9-12)

Gr 4-6 A British book with universal appeal. Amy does more than meet Trouble Half-Way. She goes out looking for it, complains her stepfather Richard. With memories of her dead father still fresh, she is unable to accept him; she even has trouble thanking him for a gift she really appreciates. When her mother must stay with Amy's grandmother, Amy not only has to survive an interminable weekend alone with Richard, but she also finds herself up in the cab of his lorry on an adventure through England. Afraid at first even to ask directions from the truck cab, Amy braves truck stops alone, washes in public lavatories and finally, under Richard's careful tutelage, makes a triumphant bus and train journey. Amy senses that her mum and Richard are still adjusting to each other and realizes her power to help make or break the newly emerging family. Her use of this power shows her maturity growing along with her self-confidence. Amy and Richard are three-dimensional characters, each somewhat insecure in their dealings with the other, and readers will relish the gradual strengthening of their relationship. There are some Briticisms, but they will not be a deterent to most American readers, and the glossary is helpful. An enjoyable story with touches of humor that contains much wisdom about human nature. Sylvia S. Marantz, Wellington School, Columbus