Synopsis
At the end of I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This, Lena and her younger sister, Dion, set off on their own, desperate to escape their abusive father. Disguised as boys, they hitchhike along, traveling in search of their mother's relatives. They don't know what they will find, or who they can trust along the way, but they do know that they can't afford to make even one single mistake. Dramatic and moving, this is a heart-wrenching story of two young girls in search of a place to call home.
About the Author: Jacqueline Woodson lives in Brooklyn, New York.
KLIATT
To quote KLIATT's Jan. 1999 review of the hardcover edition: Thirteen-year-old Lena and her precocious eight-year-old sister Dion are on the road, hitchhiking from Ohio to Kentucky in search of their dead mother's family. Disguised as boys, they're running away from their sexually abusive father, afraid of being separated from each other by social service agencies. Lena is trying her best to take care of them, missing her friend Marie back home and unsure of what their future holds. Winter is coming on and it's getting harder to keep their lies to strangers straight. When Miz Lilly, a kind black woman, takes them in for a night, Dion overcomes the prejudice against blacks her father had displayed, and being in Miz Lilly's home makes Lena realize how much she and Dion miss Marie and their hometown. This quiet, affecting story continues the tale begun in I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This, but it can stand on its own. Woodson conveys the fear and sadness that underlie the girls' life on the run, as well as their survival skills and their love for each other. The happy ending will warm readers' hearts. KLIATT Codes: J—Recommended for junior high school students. 1999, Random House/Dell Laurel-Leaf, 116p, 18cm, $4.99. Ages 13 to 15. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick; November 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 6)