Stefan's Story

Publishers Weekly

In Stefan's Story, the sequel to Carolina Crow Girl, Valerie Hobbs reintroduces nature lovers Carolina and her paraplegic friend Stefan as they cross the bridge to adolescence, this time from Stefan's point of view. When the teens reunite in Oregon for the wedding of Carolina's mother, Stefan's feelings for Carolina start moving past friendship, but Carolina seemingly is smitten with another. Meanwhile, the timber company of Carolina's stepfather threatens to destroy an ancient forest-as well as the peace in Carolina's household. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Stefan Millington Crouch, III, age 13, and his friend Carolina are different in many ways: He is from a wealthy California family and is wheelchair bound. She lives in an old school bus until she moves with her family to Oregon to live in a coastal timber town. However, they share a love of nature and a strong friendship. They are reunited after two years when Stefan flies to Oregon for a visit with Carolina and her family. While there, they discover that a logging company plans to clear-cut an old-growth forest, and they set about finding ways to stop it. In addition, Stefan deals with his changing, more mature feelings for Carolina in light of her friendship with a visiting bad-boy, Luke. The plot is well-developed, and the friendship between Stefan and Carolina is given as much weight as the problems with the old-growth forest. Unfortunately, the climax of the book, resulting in a showdown between local townspeople and the logging trucks, comes across as a bit melodramatic and is not quite substantiated by the development of the main characters. The issue of logging versus preservation is complicated, however, and although the book definitely comes down on the side of preservation, the author does make an attempt to illustrate both sides of the issue. 2003, Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Ages 11 up.
— Barbara Allen Burke

VOYA

Two years after they first met in Carolina Crow Girl (Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, 1999), Stefan and Carolina are reunited when Stefan, now thirteen, flies to the Oregon coast for the wedding of Carolina's mother. For the duration of the journey, he worries that Carolina will have changed and will no longer accept his wheelchair, but at the airport he realizes immediately that nothing is different. Carolina's family has ended their transient lifestyle, and her mother's fiancée is a kind logger. When the company he works for plans to cut down an old-growth forest in the area, Stefan and Carolina are torn between their loyalty to him and their interest in the environment. This novel is a sometimes predictable story crossed with complex issues. The events surrounding the old-growth forest lead to discussion on topics such as the responsibilities of supporting a family, the trickle-down nature of the environment, and personal integrity. Carolina's attraction to an older teen brings out issues of jealousy and the disabled and sexuality, as Stefan sorts out what his friendship with her means. His integration into non-disabled society is also refreshing and sets a good example for an increasingly diverse world. Teachers especially will find this book useful in the classroom as a catalyst for discussion on the many issues it presents. VOYA CODES: 3Q 3P M J (Readable without serious defects; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2003, Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, 176p., $16. Ages 11 to 15.
—Jenny Ingram

School Library Journal

Gr 6-8-Wheelchair-bound Stefan is on his way to visit his friend Carolina in Oregon. He is unsure how the relationship will play out, as the friends haven't seen one another in two years. Once in Haskell's Bay, he finds Carolina embroiled in a controversy. A huge logging company has bought a pristine, old-growth forest. The loggers are excited about the prospect of employment, while the fishermen and environmentalists are against it. The discord even separates Carolina's mother from her fiance, Hank. After he is injured while riding in a truck on which the brake lines had been cut, Carolina and Stefan must find a way to rescue cantankerous, sometimes-drunken Otto, who has been falsely accused of the deed. Someone must also figure out how to rescue the community as a whole. Hobbs's characterization is the strong point of this novel. Stefan's desire to be treated like everyone else is shaded by his actual need for subtly given assistance. His shy and new feelings for Carolina are contrasted with his dislike for her motorcycle-riding admirer who can deliver a deft kiss. Hank is clearly shown to be a real hero, not for flashy deeds, but for his determination to support his loved ones through hard, unglamorous work. Hobbs also gives proper balance to the economic pressures of the issue. Readers first met Carolina and Stefan in Carolina Crow Girl (Farrar, 1999), but this novel easily stands on its own.-Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Stefan Crouch, 13 and an amateur naturalist, journeys to Oregon to visit his best friend Carolina, whom he has not seen for two years. Stefan frets about how things will go now that they are teenagers, as any boy would. The trip is far from routine for Stefan, though, because he's wheelchair-bound. Aside from the logistical hassles this poses, Stefan must deal with budding sexuality from a different perspective than most boys; the girls at school don't even view him as a "real guy." Much to his relief, he and Carolina are as comfortable together as they used to be, and Stefan develops a major crush. He has a rival in Zach, a rebellious, motorcycle-driving older boy visiting the small town in Oregon from LA. In the end, Stefan's a hero for body-blocking the loggers about to cut down an old-growth forest and Zack, in an over-the-top twist, is arrested for attempted murder for cutting the brake lines of a logger's truck. Hobbs raises interesting issues regarding Stefan's disability, but even the Zach subplot can't jumpstart this one. (Fiction. 10-12)