The Golden Day

Gr 7 Up—From its atmospheric beginning with the mention of a hanging, Dubosarsky's gently unsettling story (Candlewick, 2013) centers on 11 "little girls" who don hats and hold hands each time they line up to venture with their teacher to a nearby park. The Australian setting and Vietnam-era time frame are occasionally part of the story which concerns Cubby, Icara, Martine, Elizabeth, Tallest Elizabeth, Shortest Elizabeth, Elizabeth-with-the-plaits, and four classmates and what happens when poetry-loving Mrs. Renshaw disappears on one of the field trips. The general suspicion is that she may have been done in, perhaps by the park's caretaker, and just 10 days later, a memorial service is held. The writing has a ripe, dreamy quality, with rich descriptions of a man's "owlish" voice, the violet beauty of cigarette smoke, and a rowboat that bobs "like a shy pony." The ending (when the girls are seniors) leaves Mrs. Renshaw's fate less sure than ever. Although the girls are consistently described as little, and appear to be about 10, the teacher's disappearance and the overall literary style suggest an older audience. Narrator Kate Rudd does an excellent job distinguishing each of the young characters, and her adult voices accurately capture the commanding tones ("like a Roman emperor") ascribed to some of the teachers. The relationship-driven story line (it doesn't center on investigating Mrs. Renshaw's disappearance) and the somewhat languid writing style may not attract everyone, but Rudd's excellent vocal interpretation will engage listeners drawn to the story.—Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX