Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Before Meg's family moved, her father promised that he'd stop drinking. Now twelve-year-old Meg is stuck in a new school and she's finally making a friend in sweet and popular Grace Bennett, but she's got the same old father, angry, violent, and alcoholic. To save her pride and to abide by her mother's wish that their problems stay family business, Meg invents tales about her family and history that explain their repeated moves, her unwillingness to let people into the house, and, as things deteriorate, her mother's bruises and her brother's broken arm. The story's elements are predictable in the extreme, but such dysfunctional situations do tend to follow familiar patterns, and the story's messages are blessedly subtle rather than heavy-handed. There's some real creativity in the characters, especially Grace, who just wants people to get along, and her family; Day also gives full credit to the complexity of Meg's emotions, making her father's eventual departure a genuinely sad scene despite the necessity of the action. Just about every kid can relate to the desire to cover up family flaws, so they'll understand Meg's dilemma and they'll be glad to see her reach better times.