Sand-Eveland,
Cyndi Tinfoil Sky
Tundra Books 2012 216p $17.95 978-1-77049-277-6 E-BN ms/hs Realistic
fiction
When Cecily tells her twelve-year-old daughter Mel that they
will move in with Mel's grandma, Mel is
delighted, picturing the perfect home she has long dreamed of. Mel begins to dream
of security, a comfortable bed, and stability.
But it is not to be. Instead, it's back to sleeping in
the broken-down car, eating at soup kitchens, and singing on street corners
for change. They have done it before, and it seems to be working, until one day when Cecily doesn’t
come back to the car. Mel fakes it for
several days until the police come
and she learns that her mom was arrested for
shoplifting. Mel is assigned by the
court to the custody of her grandmother, who has placed tinfoil over all the
windows in fear of her neighbors. Mel is
barely tolerated, and her sanctuary
becomes the library, where she is befriended by the librarian and her son. As Mel counts the days until her mother’s
release, she learns more about her extended family from the neighboring
shopkeeper. She gets a part-time
job at the library and her grandmother slowly warms to her. Will this become the home Mel has dreamed of?
Sand-Eveland has worked with homeless youth and has captured their dreams, spirit, and resilience with great authenticity. This is a hard-hitting novel for students who share Mel’s dreams of security, home-baked cookies and loving hugs.
