Skip to main content

Review: Light and Air

By
 
By Mindy Nichols Wendell
Holiday House, 2024. Fiction. 188 pages.

In 1935, Halle's lives with her mother and father. Every day at school, she gets to see her best friend Thelma. Although her life isn't perfect, her father is eager to criticize and hesitant to show affection, it is pretty great. But then Momma is diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) and is rushed to J.N. Adam Hospital in upstate New York. Once it's just Halle and Papa, he becomes even less affectionate and more withdrawn, expecting her to take care of the housework and lashing out if it's not adequately handled. Halle's school life is also difficult, where she is bullied and ostracized by the children who assume that she also has TB, even though her x-rays have shown her lungs look clear. When everything comes to a head, she decides to walk the 20 miles to visit her mother in the hospital, but while on the way she becomes ill and ends up becoming a patient in the hospital herself. 

This book gives you insight into healthcare during that time period, especially since it takes place in J.N. Adam Hospital, which was a real tuberculosis hospital during that time. It also delves into difficult family dynamics and found family. If you're interested in early 20th century history, this book is a winner.  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

By
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Fresh Start

By
Fresh Start By Gale Galligan New York: Graphix, 2025. Graphic novel. 270 pages. Ollie Herisson is only in 7th grade, but she has already lived all over the world. Her father is an American diplomat, whose job has taken their family to France, Singapore, Thailand (where her mom is from), and now to Chestnut Falls, Virginia. Ollie loves that her family doesn't stay in one place very long, it allows her to have a fresh start and hide from any embarrassing moments each time they move. But Ollie's parents have big news -- they've decided to buy a house in Virginia and put down roots. Now, Ollie and her younger sister Cat have to figure out how to build lasting friendships which means resolving conflict rather than running away when things get hard.  Loosely based on the author's own childhood experiences, this graphic novel is sure to be popular with readers who like coming of age stories. Watching Ollie learn to think of others as she advocates for her sister Cat, and navig...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Will's Race for Home

By
  Willl's Race for Home  By Jewell Parker Rhodes Little Brown & Company, 2025. Fiction. 256 pages.    Will is a young man whose father and family are working the land as sharecroppers in Texas. When Will's father comes home with the news that there is land available in Oklahoma to those who can stake and settle it, Will's father expresses his deep desire to go and claim land for their family. Will begs to be included, but his mother is reluctant to let him go. After input from the entire family, they decide that Will is ready for the responsibility. Along the way Will and his father develop a deeper appreciation for each other, form deep friendship, discover hidden enemies, and encounter many challenges which force them to make difficult decisions. Will's father has to rely heavily on him, especially as they get closer to their final destination. Will's bravery is inspiring and commendable.  This book is full of many amazing elements: suspense, adventure, fr...
Post a Comment
Read more