When Buttermilk meets the Squabbles family, she sees that something is terribly wrong. She must learn that it's okay to get involved if it's going to help a friend.

This is probably a book that is geared for older crowds like Crickle-Crack since it touches a subject that we don't normally speak of with our children. It is a darker book in a sense but it can also provide a doorway for us to try to go over the idea while the song "Alyssa Lies" keeps floating back in my head when I think of this book, which of course had a far different ending.

Allowing it to stick to the children's theme the book isn't realistic in its portrayal of the abuse and also adults don't act like they do in the book to stop it. Realistically most people just turn around to not see it so I think that part of the book is misleading.

Again it is a beautiful book for a hard topic while its wrongs can be overlooked.... ( )

This is a somewhat disturbing look at child and spousal abuse. Things seldom work out as nicely as implied by the ending. ( )