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Overview
Thirteen-year-old Shana and her 12-year-old Cody are staying at a forest cabin for the summer. Their tranquil days are upset when a troubled old man decides to go over the falls one last time. An ALA Notable Book and a "Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books" Blue Ribbon Book.A sister and brother spend a largely unsupervised summer in a cabin near a river, where they befriend an elderly man with much to teach them and where they try to come to terms with their parents' failing marriage and make decisions about their own futures.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Summer in a riverside cabin becomes dangerous and difficult for a pair of children when they befriend a crotchety old man who takes them on some turbulent river rapids. Ages 9-12. (June)School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-When their father leaves them, Shana, 13, and Cody, 12, move with their mother to Maryland, as much to escape their small Southern town's gossip as to earn a better living. Unhappy with the urban sterility of their new home, however, the kids convince Mama that they should stay in an abandoned cabin along the Leanna River for the summer. There they meet Henry, an irascible old man who professes to be a ranger. Ill and difficult but an excellent canoeist, he teaches Cody his skills. The exciting climax reveals that Henry wants to run the dangerous rapids one last time. Cody and Shana sensibly refuse to help him, but when he is injured making the attempt alone they navigate downstream in time to get help. Shana's fast-paced, first-person narrative is enhanced by Henry's quirky character and revealing dialogue. The theme that ``Families change, just like people'' is well integrated into the story. Henry's advice, ``Don't count on anybody,'' rings true. At summer's end, Cody returns to the South to live with an uncle, but Shana joins her mother in wanting to explore the possibilities wrought by all the unforeseen and unwelcome changes. Helping one another cope with loss; learning to take necessary risks; and becoming independent, kind, and caring individuals help this family face their conflicts. As in Crazy Lady! (HarperCollins, 1993), Conly succeeds in telling a good story while demonstrating the value of knowing and learning from someone who most people call ``crazy.''-Joel Shoemaker, Southeast Jr. High School, Iowa City, IABook Details
Published
June 1, 1998
Publisher
New York : H. Holt, 1995.
Pages
234
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780590939751