Sunday, August 16, 2009

Somebody.

Springer, Nancy. Somebody.
Holiday House 2009 117p 16.95 978-0-8234-2099-5 ms/hs

Sherica is a "missing child." For 10 years her father has moved her and her brother around the country, changing their names, dying their hair, and keeping them from making friends so that he wouldn't be discovered. Now, at 15, she knows she must do something for herself. Absolutely riveting. The novel opens with the main character not knowing her real name, her birthday, or where she comes from. All she knows is that her dad moves her and her brother from town to town, sometimes as often as twice a year, and gives them new names in each new place. We are right there with her as she discovers the shocking truth-- that she is a "missing child" whose father is wanted for abduction. The emotional impact of the book is incredible, as we get inside this child's warped sense of herself and her poor self-esteem, and her notion that she must protect her dad from the law, while at the same time her soul is crying out for a real life for herself. C.Kennedy


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