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Williams, Carol Lynch
14 Reviews
(3)
4-6
After her beloved grandfather dies, Libby and her daddy are the only ones left in the broken Lochewood family. But then Grampa's spirit starts visiting Libby, giving her clues to something hidden in the lake that will help restore depressed Daddy's sense of hope. Libby's boldness shines in this story of loss and recovery, as do Williams's descriptions of 1960s rural Florida.
Reviewer: Mariko Turk
(3)
YA
In Evie's family, turning fifteen awakens a "Gift" meant to help others. Evie is horrified that her Gift is the ability to see and converse with ghosts, particularly when the ghost who won't leave her alone turns out to be intimately connected to her life. Williams manipulates ghost-story expectations to deliver an atmospheric, contemplative tale of friendship, compassion, and purpose.
Reviewer: Claire E. Gross
(4)
YA
Twins Sarah and Annie have little in common: Sarah is anxious and withdrawn; Annie is a beautiful pageant queen. Then Annie quits the pageant circuit and gains weight, which disturbs their image-focused parents. Told in both verse and prose, this quiet family drama addresses too many serious, sensational issues superficially; Sarah and Annie's gradual reconnection is more compelling.
Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald
(2)
YA
At Haven Hospital & Halls, established in 2020, monitors make sure the residents' lives are orderly and safe. But residents disappear or return damaged, and hints of surgeries, incisions, and amputations gradually let readers in on the Haven's horrors. Abigail, Daniel, and Gideon plot an escape and urge narrator Shiloh to join them. A compelling work--atmospheric, tense, and thought-provoking.
Reviewer: Dean Schneider
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2014
(2)
YA
It's 1972, and fifteen-year-old Winston is used to life without her itinerant mother. But when Mom asks to be picked up in Vegas, Winston embarks on a cross-country journey with her grandmother, her dog, their rooster--and her crush Steve, who's hiding in the back of the motor home they "borrowed." Winston's voice is distinctive, cadenced, and packed with emotion in this first-love, coming-of-age road trip.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
September, 2014
(2)
YA
London's family is splintering after the death of her brother. The free-verse novel's poetic structure allows London's powerful emotions to come through unfiltered; her grief and anger are palpable, but so are her glimpses of hope and redemption. Williams has created a complete picture of the effects of suicide on those left behind and of the way love endures after death.
Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
July, 2012
(3)
YA
Coping with a mentally ill mother is gut-wrenchingly painful for fourteen-year-old Lacey, who dreams of normalcy. Her hopes for a fresh start--after she and Momma both find jobs--are soon dashed when Momma disappears on her first day of work. Williams's writing is fluid and suspenseful, and her portrayal of mental health issues is realistic and poignant.
Reviewer: Aimee Chevrette Bear
(3)
YA
"Lizzie was my job / And I was hers." In transparent free verse, twelve-year-old Hope narrates the aftermath of her sister Lizzie's near suicide. As she slowly discovers that her family's secrets extend beyond her mother’s prostitution, Hope finds the strength and courage to help both Lizzie and herself. This dark, mature story fully develops its damaged yet sympathetic characters.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
(2)
YA
Thirteen-year-old Kyra is part of a polygamous sect, obedient to her father, his wives, and God's will as interpreted by their prophet. When the prophet says she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle, Kyra begins to imagine a life outside her secluded community. The immediacy of Kyra's first-person perspective heightens the story's emotional impact.
Reviewer: Chelsey Philpot
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
May, 2009
(4)
4-6
Beauty is starting sixth grade. She's too shy, the popular kids think she's a loser, and her mom is dating her teacher. Then she befriends Alane, who's ill with a rapid aging disorder. Some of Beauty's behavior is inconsistent; Alane's character is better developed. The story is a touching, if maudlin, journey toward self-discovery.
Reviewer: Thom Barthelmess
(4)
4-6
Life in tiny Heaven, Florida, changes for Honey DeLoach when sisters Christmas and Easter come to town. Christmas, an intriguing character, becomes Honey's best friend; Easter, an underdeveloped stereotype, gets romantically (and tragically) involved with Honey's older brother. The role of religion in these characters' lives is well depicted, but the novel's tone veers uneasily between humor and darkness.
Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta
(4)
YA
In addition to Carolina's typical teenage problems, such as a so-called best friend's trying to steal her boyfriend, she lives with the grief and guilt brought on by her older sister's and father's deaths in a plane crash a year earlier. While the first-person narration and other characters' voices sound artificial at times, Carolina's situation is moving and gracefully presented.
Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann
(2)
YA
Sage's best friend George is too kindhearted to tell her she can't write; he's also in love with her but can't tell her that, either. This comedy-romance is sometimes unwieldly but fun to read, and truth be told, the generous excerpts from Sage's magnum opus, Angelica and the Seminole Indians, are the best part. The range and variety of Sage's missteps, mistakes, and mixed metaphors would provide excellent fodder for a composition class.
Reviewer: Roger Sutton
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
January, 1999
(3)
4-6
In the summer after she finishes sixth grade, Elyse's life changes dramatically when her grandmother, an Alzheimer's patient, comes to live with Elyse, her sister, and their widowed mother. The not-always-likable narrator, an aspiring writer, records both her embarrassment over Granny's erratic behavior and the emotional trauma of watching a loved one's memories fade. Although the plot is familiar, the story is capably told.
Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.
14 reviews
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