Thank you for visiting.
This content is exclusive to subscribers only.
As a digital subscriber, you’ll receive unlimited access to Horn Book web exclusives and extensive archives, as well as access to our highly searchable Guide/Reviews Database.
To access other site content, visit The Horn Book homepage.
Log In
Don't have a Horn Book Account?
Register Now
Register Now
Auch, MJ
4 Reviews
(4)
4-6
Twelve-year-old Basil, who has synesthesia (he associates numbers with colors), learns that the new girl, Tenzie, has the same "freakism" as he does. He's lived happily with hippie-artist Gram ever since his mother left when he was five, and when she reappears for a surprise visit, life gets complicated. Character development is uneven, but Basil and Tenzie's realistic friendship adds interest.
Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander
(4)
YA
Travis's life is turned upside down when his mother lands in the hospital and his father throws him out of the house. Family heirloom guitar in hand, Travis spends his time away growing strong enough to return and help his family heal. Auch's rustic Adirondack Mountain community is well painted, if rendered a bit nostalgically.
Reviewer: David Elzey
(3)
4-6
The boyhood experiences of Auch's husband influenced this well-told story set in 1946. After Norm loses his hand in a meat-grinder accident, his mother insists he can still do everything he did with two hands, but his best friend acts as if Norm can't do anything. Readers will be inspired by Norm's story, as he finds ways to play baseball one-handed and achieve scholastically, musically, and artistically.
Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin
(3)
4-6
Since his father died, life has been hard on Grady and his mother, so he is slow to trust others. When Grady's mom gets a job cooking for an old man named Charlie, Grady learns about love through Charlie's meticulous care for a colony of nesting purple martins. Grady is a strong, convincing character in a novel that is equally affecting.
Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth
4 reviews
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.