There were times when I was tempted to throw this book in the compost pile – all the baby-talk and broken-English was hard to follow at times. But I really wanted to know what became of Arilla’s mixed-race brother. The story got good to me when she began depicting her adventures at the skating rink (a favorite teenage pass-time for my brother and I during the late 70s.) When she talked of sledding – I was hooked, remembering my youth and the many Saturdays spent sliding down hills of snow in Chicago..SMILE!!! ( )

I was really looking forward to reading this book and then share it with my 10 year old daughter however I found it hard to read. First, it was hard to read about Arilla's brother's cruelty. I have read numerous books about trauma, mistreatment, abuse etc. but this felt excruciating. I also had a hard time following the structure and it seemed really choppy. My daughter is an excellent reader, again often with tough themes, but I cannot imagine that she would read this book. It also seemed written for older children. I know Ms. Hamilton has written many, many books and I look forward to reading a different one. Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book for an honest review. ( )