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282 pp.
| Viking
| April, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-670-05937-4$16.99
(2)
YA
The Celtic legend about the children of Lir, turned into swans by their stepmother (named Rhiamon here), provides the motif for this picaresque saga. Contrary to legend, Gwenore, Rhiamon's daughter, rescues the children, but most of the book concerns Gwenore's journey to self-discovery after escaping a bad home situation. Fans will enjoy exploring Thesman's trademark communities of nurturing, self-reliant women.
229 pp.
| Viking
| October, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-670-03656-0$$16.99
(4)
4-6
In this sequel to A Sea So Far, Kate returns from Ireland to San Francisco and opens a small shop with her friend Ellen. The novel is a bit overpopulated with characters and not all of the subplots are fully developed, but Kate and Ellen are well portrayed and the book does a good job showing the limited options for young career women in the early part of the twentieth century.
199 pp.
| Viking
| May, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-670-03561-0$$15.99
(4)
4-6
Journal entries record fourteen-year-old Charlotte's experiences living in a small hotel with her siblings during the summer of 1941. Charlotte comes to realize that an assortment of shape-shifting mythical animals (including unicorns, a dragon, and a griffin) live in the nearby woods and recognize her brother as the "Fair One" who will aid them in their battle to save the world. The fantasy isn't fully developed, but the sure-handed prose sustains interest.
168 pp.
| Viking
| March, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-670-89285-8$$15.99
(2)
4-6
Fourteen-year-old Emily, who views her family's move as a chance to start over, makes a friend the day they move in. Shy, guarded Rowan won't talk about her family and refuses to enter Emily's house, but Emily loves the time they spend in her tree house, where Rowan tells stories about her "Queen's Beasts," the animals she carves from wood. Emily is a likable character, and the mystery surrounding Rowan's family is intriguingly portrayed.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2001
197 pp.
| Viking
| October, 2001
|
TradeISBN 0-670-89278-5$$15.99
(4)
4-6
Two girls--one rich, one poor--live through the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. One year later their paths cross as Kate is hired as a companion to terminally ill Jolie. On a subsequent trip to Ireland, their relationship and visions of their future are explored. While some plot points are hard to believe, both girls are appealing, if somewhat underdeveloped, characters.
149 pp.
| Viking
| June, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-670-88874-5$$15.99
(2)
4-6
In this introspective first-person narrative, fifteen-year-old Skylar's family is still traumatized by an unsolved crime so horrific that Skylar can't even bring herself to name it. Gradually, it's clear it has something to do with her strangely reclusive older sister, who is, in fact, not simply withdrawn; she exists only in Skylar's mind. Readers will be drawn in by this spectral sibling relationship and by the sensitive portrayal of a family coping with loss.
Reviewer: Kitty Flynn
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2000
183 pp.
| Viking
| May, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-670-88594-0$$15.99
(4)
YA
When a bully torments the new girl at school and a neighbor abandons his son, Bridget's parents tell her not to get involved in other people's problems. Besides, Bridget has problems of her own; she's a witch who's reluctant to use her powers for fear of being an outcast. With the help of a cranky fairy, however, she learns to accept her true self. Though the writing is imaginative at times, the narrative is confusing and not well fleshed out.
232 pp.
| Houghton
| April, 1999
|
TradeISBN 0-395-90510-9$$15.00
(3)
4-6
Keeping secret her cousin Bonnie's plans to travel to China, sixteen-year-old Clare Harris contemplates her own future in this sequel to The Ornament Tree. Clare becomes more interested in helping the underprivileged in 1920s Seattle and more involved in the small dramas taking place at her family's lively boarding house. For those who enjoyed the first book, this installment will more than satisfy.
159 pp.
| Viking
| September, 1998
|
TradeISBN 0-670-87959-2$$15.99
(4)
YA
Jane and her obnoxious cousin Ricki come to Royal Bay with their mothers to clear out their deceased grandmother's home. At night, the cousins sneak off to a nearby amusement park, where Jane meets and falls in love with Carey. Their standard teenage romance is not nearly as intriguing as the hints of family secrets between Jane's mother and overbearing Aunt Norma that are, frustratingly, left unexplored.