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YA
At first, this seems to be the story of Frankie, a girl in an orphanage in 1940s Chicago. But that's one thread in a more expansive tale, that of the ghostly narrator Pearl. Pearl's world-weary wisdom and moral outrage come through clearly as she interacts with other ghosts--victims of America's misogyny, racism, and economic inequities. Ruby's message: America is a precarious and threatening place, dealing as much in cruelty and injustice as it does in fulfilled dreams of security.
Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2019