GREAT BOOK FOR FAMILY READING

Wonder of wonders this well-written book is an opportunity for parents to read and share with their children in the pre-teen or early teen ages. It is entertaining enough for everyone to enjoy with child characters, family problems, adventures that are palatable for everyone. Some of the events are rather far out but the writing carries it off.

The father in this single parent family is unusual but as a source of love and patience provides a comfortable parent for the children. Although apparently set in the 1950s, the family history fits well with contemporary experiences. It's the miracles which lift it out of the ordinary.

There are three children in the family, older brother, Davy, who gets into serious trouble which precipitates the action; the narrator, asthmatic Reuben; and the sister, imaginative Swede, who is a precocious writer.

The plot centers on the adored older brother's tragedy and the family's effort to find him when he breaks out of jail and runs. The story carries the tension to the end but is not so intense as to give children nightmares. The ending is happy as it can be but seems rather abrupt.

The copy I read was a review copy and it states it is a book of the month selection and a Readers' Digest Select Edition.