Balliett, Blue. Hold Fast.

Balliett, Blue.  Hold Fast.  Scholastic Press  2013  274p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-29988-6   ms/hs  Realistic Fiction    VG-BN   

It is difficult for the reader to decide which genre this book belongs to -- mystery or realistic fiction -- since Blue Balliett has created both in this novel for adolescents.  And a nearly perfect novel it is!  Balliett weaves vocabulary and numbers into an original book about a family who lives from moment to moment after the disappearance of the father, Dash, a dreamer who falls accidentally into a fraudulent scheme and nearly meets his demise.  The young protagonist, Dash’s daughter Early, must grow up fast when criminals break into the family home, trash it in search of who-knows-what, and threaten Early’s mother, Sum, and her brother, Jubilation.  They flee to a shelter, where a sub-plot develops.  The plight of homeless people comes to the forefront, and Balliett cleverly weaves together a survival story with the mystery of Dash’s disappearance.  Early uses her wits to become a sleuth, first figuring out how to find her father’s mentor, who surely can help, and next, figuring out how to sneak into her father’s place of employment, the Chicago Public Library, where she riles the feathers of several employees who are as involved as they could be in some kind of crime involving diamonds and first editions.  Balliett’s focus on the theme of female empowerment adds greatly to the falling action; however, the reader enjoys figuring some things out for himself/herself.  It is not necessary to take the reader to the final stage of figuring out how to solve the homeless situation.  This slight exit from the plot line does not detract from the wonderful story, which readers will remember for a long time after reading the final page.          

Mystery, Families                                           --Martha Squaresky