Gr 5—8—Delana lives in Charleston, WV, in 1905 with her grandfather and great-aunt. She has never known her parents. Aunt Tilley is a bit eccentric and likes to "visit kinfolk" by showing Delana pictures of her African-American family, telling her stories about each one. When Tilley dies suddenly, Delana's world is turned upside down. On the night of the funeral, she finds her mother's long-lost wayward cousin in her bedroom. Cousin Ambertine begins to tell Delana about her mother, opening her eyes to the reality of her parents' past and the stories Tilley spun for her over the years. As Delana slowly begins to unravel the truth, she finds new understanding of herself and forgiveness for her family. Stories of family secrets always hold a certain allure, and this one is no exception. Bolden spins a unique tale by interspersing antique photographs in her story, weaving the plot around them and using the people in the pictures as characters. While this is a wonderful device, it doesn't quite work, mostly because the denouement falls rather flat and is too quickly resolved. The writing is lovely and poetic with phrases like "sunshine smile," giving the story an incandescence that doesn't quite shine the whole way through. Thoughtful readers will find much to ponder here, but this is a story that may appeal more to adults than children.—Necia Blundy, Marlborough Public Library, MA
Delana, who is being raised by her grandfather and aunt in the early 1900s, has very little knowledge of her family history. When her aunt dies, Delana begins to discover secrets about her relatives that change the way she views them forever. Period photographs are interspersed throughout the text, helping further draw readers into this engaging story.
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