Overview
When Milo is in fifth grade, his parents get divorced, and his teacher, Ms. Swinford, helps him make it through the year. He loves hearing her sing “The Happy Wanderer” and reminisce about the year she lived in Switzerland during college, practically on the misty slopes of the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn! During the next five years, Milo moves through the mists of Washington State – from place to place and school to school – while his mother tries to figure out what to do with her life. Along the way, he tries to “seek the truth,” as his free-spirited father urged him to do before he left, but he never forgets Ms. Swinford and her tales of Switzerland. Then, when he gets the chance to see Ms. Swinford again, his understanding of what is true is shaken.
With the authentic teen voice and quirky characters he’s known for, Randy Powell tells a thoughtful story about a loner searching for his own path in a constantly changing world.
Synopsis
When Milo is in fifth grade, his parents get divorced, and his teacher, Ms. Swinford, helps him make it through the year. He loves hearing her sing “The Happy Wanderer” and reminisce about the year she lived in Switzerland during college, practically on the misty slopes of the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn! During the next five years, Milo moves through the mists of Washington State – from place to place and school to school – while his mother tries to figure out what to do with her life. Along the way, he tries to “seek the truth,” as his free-spirited father urged him to do before he left, but he never forgets Ms. Swinford and her tales of Switzerland. Then, when he gets the chance to see Ms. Swinford again, his understanding of what is true is shaken.
With the authentic teen voice and quirky characters he’s known for, Randy Powell tells a thoughtful story about a loner searching for his own path in a constantly changing world.
KLIATT
Coping with change and searching for one's identity and destiny are the themes of this coming-of-age story about Milo, who we first meet at the age of ten. That's the year his parents get divorced, and his teacher, Ms. Swinford, helps him through it with her happy remembrances of her time in Switzerland. Over the next five years, Milo and his mother move from Seattle to a small Washington town where she can go to school, and then finally back to Seattle when she remarries. Milo, who in leaving his friends behind in Seattle turns into a loner, tries to embark on a "quest for truth," as his free-spirited father advises, but he always feels like he's just waiting for his life to begin. A chance encounter with Ms. Swinford when he is 15 leads to a surprising revelation, and Milo finally feels freed up to truly begin his own journey. This meditative, psychologically astute tale of a boy's emotional maturation is true to life. None of the characters are stock, except perhaps Milo's hippie-dippy father, who is so busy searching for enlightenment he has forgotten to grow up. Powell, the author of Three Clams and an Oyster and other novels for YAs, sensitively depicts Milo's struggles. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick
Editorials
KLIATT -
Coping with change and searching for one's identity and destiny are the themes of this coming-of-age story about Milo, who we first meet at the age of ten. That's the year his parents get divorced, and his teacher, Ms. Swinford, helps him through it with her happy remembrances of her time in Switzerland. Over the next five years, Milo and his mother move from Seattle to a small Washington town where she can go to school, and then finally back to Seattle when she remarries. Milo, who in leaving his friends behind in Seattle turns into a loner, tries to embark on a "quest for truth," as his free-spirited father advises, but he always feels like he's just waiting for his life to begin. A chance encounter with Ms. Swinford when he is 15 leads to a surprising revelation, and Milo finally feels freed up to truly begin his own journey. This meditative, psychologically astute tale of a boy's emotional maturation is true to life. None of the characters are stock, except perhaps Milo's hippie-dippy father, who is so busy searching for enlightenment he has forgotten to grow up. Powell, the author of Three Clams and an Oyster and other novels for YAs, sensitively depicts Milo's struggles. Reviewer: Paula RohrlickSchool Library Journal
Gr 8-10
When his parents divorce, Milo has to leave behind his familiar Seattle neighborhood and his kind fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Swinford, who shares her enthusiasm for all things Swiss with her students and gives him a much-valued book of synonyms. Moving to a crime-ridden apartment complex while Mom studies to become a dental technician, Milo misses not only his Dad and their philosophical discussions about the search for truth, but also being known and having his place assured. For the next three years, he tries to remain invisible, and then it's back to Seattle and another chance to reinvent himself. When he's in 10th grade, he runs into Ms. Swinford again, and revelations about her make him examine his idea of truth. Milo gradually loses his childish innocence and sense of total protection, teeters on the edge of danger, and finally reaches a place where he knows what he wants for himself. His slowly revealed maturing is best shown in his relationship with his mostly absent father, of whom Mom says, "he's all wrapped up in his personal growth, yet he's never grown up." Milo sheds his acceptance of the world and grows with subtlety and a wry humor that makes him appealing and enjoyable. This book is rewardingly remarkable for the characters and bits of truth that Milo never stops pursuing, even as he learns that truth is not what matters most.-Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library