Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

In this companion novel to Watch the Sky (BCCB 7/15), Eider is part of a small, tight-knit community that exists after the end of the world as it was known, or at least that’s what Teacher has always said. The girl takes comfort in her memories of her beloved sister, even though Teacher says that those memories are only imaginings. Teacher runs everything, choosing what the children read, eat, and have access to off the desert compound. Eider is not content to believe everything Teacher says, however, and her explorations lead to startling discoveries about the nature of this little group and what might lie beyond their own borders. Readers who are cruising along assuming this is indeed a post-apocalyptic novel will find the reveal that it is more like a tiny, creepy cult to be startling indeed; many readers will be suspicious of Teacher from the start, and they will spend most of the novel waiting for Eider to spot the discrepancies and figure it all out. It’s easy to be patient, however, given [End Page 176] her youth and the shocking psychological damage she has endured under the watch of Teacher. While the story strains credulity a bit, the happy ending (reunions and all) is so badly needed that it’s readily forgivable, and readers will feel relief that things finally seem on the right track for Eider.