Nancy Covert SmithCritiques

Used to the hard life of her migrant family, twelve-year-old Josie finally realizes her dream of a permanent home and school.

This is my favorite of the trilogy- I liked seeing DeLanna start her new life. I thought it was fitting that she ended up on a farm that would take more spunk than traditional feminine skills. I agree with the neighbor that their farm wasn't a disappointment- it was a good place ready to be molded into whatever they wanted.½

At this point DeLanna's not sure what she should do, which is interesting because everyone else seems to know- Andrew, Sara, and the reader (although to be fair, this was a re-read). The only thing I wasn't happy with was that she waited until a month before going to learn so many things she should already have been learning- cures, care of apple trees, etc. I was glad that John finally shut Charity up, but it was annoying that she was still being obnoxious about things. I enjoyed reading the book and enjoyed seeing the way things turned out, although I was surprised to have John's perspective on things.½

DeLanna's only battle she doesn't win is the one with her mother- her mother never approves of her. I was pretty surprised by her actions at the end of the book- I thought she'd tell her mother off rather than trying to please her. It was good to see DeLanna get back to her usual wild self.