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Details
Synopsis
On a summer visit to her grandmother's cottage by the ocean, twelve-year-old Martha gains perspective on the death of a classmate, on her relationship with her grandmother, on her feelings for an older boy, and on her plans to be a writer., Twelve-year-old Martha must come to terms with the death of her classmate Olive, a shy outcast who could have been Martha's best friend but wasn't. While vacationing with her family on Cape Cod, Martha obsesses over her crush on a slightly older boy, deals with the fact that her grandmother is getting older and more fragile, and discovers that she and Olive may have had more in common than she had ever imagined. Named one of the Best Children's Books 2003 by Publishers Weekly. A 2004 Newbery Honor book.
Industry Reviews
"Well-plotted, the working out of Martha's feelings of humiliation, her renewed connection to family, and her final gesture towards the dead Olive are effected with originality and grace. Henkes's characters never lack for the inner resilience that comes from a grounding in the ultimate decency of family. Characters and setting are painted in with the deft strokes of an experienced artist. Few girls will fail to recognize themselves in Martha."
Kirkus Reviews (07/01/2003)
"Henkes' use of short chapters, many less than a page long, present much of the story in sensory poetic vignettes that limn the plot with a contemplative stillness; readers with a view toward the delicate melancholy of growing up, and the even more profound melancholy of not growing up, will find emotional affirmation here."
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (09/01/2003)
"Readers can peer through this brief window into Martha's life and witness a maturation, as she becomes a young woman, appreciates life anew and finds a way to give something back to Olive."
Publishers Weekly (08/18/2003)
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