This story is Rosalie Norman's. But being the youngest in the family and the only child not yet grown means that much of Rosalie's knowledge about her cousin Johnny's disappearance will have to come by accident or by stealth. Although at times the action in the story is overly complicated, as Rosalie says, "drawing works in layers," and what isn't explained at first becomes clearer as the story progresses. The story works best in its drawing out of the theme of awareness and how it colours Rosalie's character. Rosalie's growing awareness of her neighbourhood, her family, and her mother carries the story and kept me interested. It was nice to read about the North End of Halifax as well, but the story could just as well have been written about the seventies or eighties as 1959 - when I grew up in the nineties I was spending my summers on the steps eating popsicles, just like Rosalie! Although the division of schools along Catholic and Protestant lines did serve to show Rosalie's growing awareness of reality beyond schoolyard stereotypes, the mention of Africville in 1959 with no tie in to the story came off as a bit of an afterthought. The family dynamic is lovely, though, and brought back memories of my youth.

This is, quite plainly, the worst book I have ever come by.

I was required to read it for Red Maple in the 8th grade. I was hoping it would be a thought provoking book, with a nice story, and a plot twist of some sort.

Well, it isn't. It is intensely boring. Johnny doesn't even die! There is nothing remotely interesting about this book. Some girl likes art and makes friends with some guy.

The end.

P.S. Don't read it. ( )

did not like this book at all, set in 50s, girl and her misfit 'friend" try to dicover secret of missing cousin ( )