November 1, 2006
Gr 5-7-Complex and believably imperfect characters emerge from the first page to the last in this debut novel. Gabe, 12, had been shuffled around the foster-care system for years, until, as a 9-year-old, he was taken to Virginia to an uncle he had never met. Now, two years later, he comes home after the first day of sixth grade to find Uncle Vernon dead. Numb with fear and grief, he tells no one, but the body disappears and mysterious cards begin to appear in his mailbox. As he mourns for his uncle and struggles to honor his memory, readers get to know the strong and caring people surrounding him, and to see the enormous impact made by one scarred and cantankerous, but loving, old man. Uncle Vernons colloquial voice; the details of successive school days and vignettes of what it means to have a best friend; horrifying glimpses of the Vietnam War, in which Vernon had served, and its aftermath; and sketches of compassionate adults make up some of the bits and pieces of the story. The book is much more than the sum of these parts, however. Warm and moving, it is an evocative picture of the weblike nature of human existence and the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate experiences."Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL"
Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2007
When twelve-year-old Gabe's uncle Vernon (a Vietnam veteran and Gabe's sole guardian) dies, the boy keeps Vernon's death a secret and tries to manage on his own. He is assisted by a mysterious, unseen well-wisher who communicates by notes. Despite some overwritten prose and a tacked-on ending, this character study is original and convincing.
(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)