January 13, 2020
This warmhearted, meandering novel about a tight-knit Pennsylvania farm family also offers a mystery. Twelve-year-old Sara suffers from Marfan syndrome, which makes her tall and thin (“I’m a body built out of stretch”), and strains her lungs and heart so that she desperately needs surgery. Kephart (Wild Blues) keenly conveys the stark economic reality of the drought-ridden farm, intensified by a devastating fire that burns their shed and hay supply, and the intense financial pressure Sara’s family faces just to survive, let alone afford additional medical expenses. Sara and her younger brother, Hawk, become increasingly interested in the older man who rents their renovated barn and about whom questions emerge when a big-city editor visits the farm. Though the mystery proves less believable than it might, the literary tone and occasional poemlike chapters convey palpable emotion alongside the strong portrayal of the siblings’ relationship, the intertwined family, and the effects of Sara’s disease. Ages 11–14.
