Blue Sky, Butterfly - Hardcover

Twig, 11, tries to remove any vestige of her father from her life after her parents separate. She's furious at him and refuses to see him--how could he leave without even saying good-bye? Meanwhile, Twig's mother has stopped functioning: Dust balls pile up under the piano and dirty laundry overflows the basket in the bathroom. Twig's older brother, Nathan, offers little support, retreating into his guitar music and staying away from home as much as possible. Twig tries valiantly to cope before admitting she's not up to the task. She calls upon her quirky, world-traveling grandmother for some pinch-hitting. Gradually, through the healing power of a garden, Twig's mother returns to the living and Twig begins to adjust to the changes in her family. Van Leeuwen (Across the Wide Dark Sea, 1995, etc.) is an accomplished writer, who creates a complex, multidimensional character in Twig, an entirely believable moody preteen facing a tough situation. Face it she does; the author never whitewashes any of this family's pain but leavens the story with touches of humor and rounds it out with a realistically upbeat ending. (Fiction. 9- 12) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 4-6?Twig, 11, is desolate at the unforseen collapse of her parents' marriage. Her mother, normally intelligent, loving, and active, retreats into a silent depression, giving up everyday routines like laundry, shopping, and cooking. Twig's older brother retreats into his room and his music. Her father is simply absent, an occasional voice on the phone and eventually a car horn outside. Twig herself is bereft, furious about losing her father and frightened about losing her mother. Her adventurous grandmother begins to repair some of the damage, but soon takes off on her travels again. And then she sends along some gifts from the past that show that a future is still possible for this family. Twig's story is brief but intense, honest and effective. Through characters that are heartbreakingly real, Van Leeuwen offers compassion, acceptance, and hope to those who are suffering through the devastation of divorce. This book ranks with Judy Blume's It's Not the End of the World (S & S, 1982) and Beverly Cleary's Dear Mr. Henshaw (Dell, 1984).?Susan Oliver, Hillsborough County Science Library at MOSI, Tampa, FL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.