Jubilee

Judith, called Jubilee by her adoptive mother, Aunt Cora, might not speak aloud to anyone but herself in the mirror, but she certainly has a lot on her mind. She's been raised since toddlerhood on an island off the Maine coast, having been abandoned by her young biological mother. The first chapter is short and action-filled, culminating in a dog being tossed overboard by a stranger and Jubilee rescuing him with the efficiency of a girl who knows her way around the Maine waters. School is about to start for Jubilee, and soon she will be in deep water of another sort: for the first time, she will be a member of a mainstream fifth-grade class without the support of a special-needs teacher for her selective mutism. Giff examines the bonds that people create, both with other people and with animals. Caring adults (Aunt Cora and her boyfriend Gideon, new teacher Ms. Quirk, school psychologist Mr. Kauffman) are willing to let this sensitive little girl take all the time she needs to figure out the world around her. The pace of the story rewards the patient reader, as sometimes it takes a while for things to work themselves out. Giff gets the island-life details right: children are allowed a lot of freedom; islanders are fiercely independent, but everyone pulls together when a storm blows in; the ferry will run on schedule if it can; and everyone will stop to look for a missing child. robin smith

Jubilee lives with her aunt Cora on an island off the Maine coast, having been abandoned by her mother. For the first time, Jubilee will be in a mainstream fifth-grade class without the support of a special-needs teacher for her selective mutism. Giff examines the bonds that people create, both with other people and with animals, and she gets the island-life details right.