Middle of Nowhere

June 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-When 12-year-old Curtis's mother leaves him and his five-year-old brother, Artie, without warning, Curtis does everything he can to prevent Social Services from finding out. However, he soon discovers that he has an ally: a crotchety elderly neighbor who needs his help as well. Mrs. Burt takes the boys from their rundown apartment to a remote country cabin where Curtis learns about wilderness living, and Artie's allegiances waver. Smooth writing, appropriate pacing, well-chosen details, and a well-crafted sense of place make this book an easy read, particularly in the second half where readers learn about day-to-day life in a remote wilderness and find themselves cheering for the narrator's courage and determination. Curtis's convincingly reasonable voice makes it almost possible to overlook various plot flaws: his utter lack of suspicion or curiosity, or sense of moral dilemma. For a less-problematic hiding-from-social-workers offering, readers might prefer Jennifer Richard Jacobson's Small As an Elephant (Candlewick, 2011), or Traci L. Jones's Silhouetted by the Blue (Farrar, 2011).-Rhona Campbell, Washington DC Public Library

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2012
A mother who disappears, two brothers left alone and a seemingly kindly neighbor make up the ingredients of this unsuccessful story about troubled families. Eleven-year-old Curtis has always helped care for his little brother while their mother works and attends school. Now she has not come home, rent is due and food is running out. Haunted by memories of a horrible foster-care family with whom he stayed the first time his mother left him, Curtis fears that he will be separated from his little brother. Then strange but kindly Mrs. Burt, who lives across the street, offers money and meals. When she takes them to a remote lakeside cabin in British Columbia for the summer, Curtis is slowly drawn into this brave new world of chopping wood, building an outhouse and fishing. In truth, Mrs. Burt has "absconded" with the children because she mourns her son who drowned in the lake 40 years ago. Curtis' mother has not run off but has been badly injured and is lying in a coma. In a few pages of the finale, the narrative flow abruptly wraps up, leaving too many loose ends and unanswered questions. Curtis' first-person narration necessarily limits readers' access to the puzzle, and his easy acceptance of the big reveal strains credulity. The elements of a good story are present, but its telling lacks resonance, character development and depth of understanding. (Fiction. 8-12)

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July 1, 2012
When Curtis and Artie's mom disappears and weeks go by, Curtis keeps her absence a secret. They survive with the help of elderly neighbor Mrs. Burt, but after she takes them to her cabin in the woods, Curtis begins to feel conflicted about her intentions. The subtly resilient tone (with comic notes) will keep readers going through the heavy moments and the moral conundrums.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2012
Curtis and Artie's mom doesn't come home after work one day, but Curtis is sure she'll be back soon. Days and weeks go by with no word, but Curtis looks after his five-year-old brother, maintains hope, and keeps her absence a secret. Speaking up would land them in foster homes, and he knows from experience how awful those can be. When the old lady who lives across from their low-income apartment block asks Curtis for help with errands, he realizes that she's their ticket to surviving until Mom comes home, and a reciprocal relationship develops. And when Mrs. Burt learns the truth about their missing mother, she packs up her 1957 Chevy Bel Air and they depart on a "holiday" to her cabin in the woods. The character dynamics are just right throughout -- twelve-year-old Curtis's love for Artie and grief over their missing mother are fully realized; Artie's impressionability is touching, as is Mrs. Burt's desire to nurture the boys. However, something isn't right about Mrs. Burt's actions, and as it becomes clearer that the holiday is permanent, Curtis begins to feel trapped. Not only are they stuck in the middle of nowhere but he sees that she's manipulating affectionate Artie's memories and feelings about their mother. Like Curtis, we feel conflicted about Mrs. Burt's intentions, especially at the climactic conclusion, which is simultaneously sad and what we hope for the whole time. Adderson's success here is the subtly resilient tone (with comic notes) that will keep middle-graders going through the heavy moments and the moral conundrums. katrina hedeen

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)