Juvenile fiction
"I didn't know there was a storm coming.
Had I known I might have done things differently.
But I'd promised to help my teacher, Mrs. Taylor, clean the schoolhouse before she locked its doors for the summer."
We first met up with Annabelle in Lauren Wolk's Wolf Hollow where she was desperately trying to protect a gentle and misunderstood man from their suspicious neighbors, especially a ruthless bully and her sidekick. In its most worthy sequel she's only a few months past the incidents, coping with what ifs and other regrets and questions. She just wants life to return to normal.
As if.
The storm she didn't see coming? She's struck by lightning on the way home. She not only survives without major injuries, but is given an unusual talent: the ability to understand animals' emotions. Is it real? How should she use it? Will she lose it someday as quickly as she gained it?
That's not the only mystery in her life.
Annabelle's brother's dog gets loose and runs away in the storm. When she finds him he's been hit by a truck. He's in a barn being tended to by a new neighbor, a reclusive woman with unknown trauma in her past, dedicated to saving dogs but quite suspicious of most humans.
A well dressed man drives into Annabelle's town offering a $10 reward...
("'Ten dollars' James yelped, his eyes wide. 'That's enough for--'
'Shoes for all three of you,' my father said.")
...for the return of his bull terrier, Zeus. Only, despite his respectable looks and smooth talk, he may have sinister reasons for getting his dog back.
Then there's Andy, the former minion of the Wolf Hollow bully, Betty Glengarry. Annabelle wants to keep hating on him. But he's showing unexpected moments of kindness. And he may be getting beaten by his angry and volatile father.
Events and people aren't always what they seem to be on the surface. Annabelle's growing awareness of and ability to cope with this complexity makes for a most engaging coming of age narrative. Dog lovers will especially enjoy it.
On a purrrsonal note, one of the biggest highlights of the summer program was the talent show. I've never seen anything like it before in a lifetime of performing on stage. The kids were pulling together like you wouldn't believe. When anyone faltered there were cries of "You've got this!" And every act got a standing ovation. Solidarity at it's finest.
Did I perform? Well yeah. Drag of course. I amazed people by coming off the stage and into the audience, dancing up and down the aisle stairs. (Jules)
Dancing in this heat? Not me! (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to performers, crew, and audience.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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