Tumbleweed Skies

Gr 3—6—"I could tell right away that this wasn't a house that wanted me." Thus, readers are introduced to nine-year-old Ellie. It's the 1950s in Saskatchewan, and Ellie's father is down on his luck and has had to take a job as a traveling salesman. He has no choice but to leave his daughter with his dead wife's mother—an embittered woman made vitriolic by her resentment and anger. She hadn't consented to the marriage and blames her son-in-law for her daughter's death when Ellie was an infant. Unmarried Uncle Roger, who runs the farm, has had his struggles in life too, but unlike his mother, his disappointments have honed kindness in him. Ellie does her best to please Grandmother Acklebee and to hide her feelings when her efforts go unrewarded. However, she does forge a tender relationship with her uncle. Over time, Grandmother Acklebee begins to soften (almost imperceptibly), and Ellie starts to accept that the woman's response to her is out of hurt, not indifference. Sherrard has created a tender and complex story around these very different characters. Ellie shows growth throughout the novel in a way that is believable and appropriate for a child her age. Her grandmother's change is very subtle, which is also appropriate, given the circumstances. Readers are not left with a sugary sweet ending, but with a conclusion that offers some hope. Sherrard writes with compassion and understanding about some tough issues, and her characters show remarkable depth. A realistic, moving story of how a broken family copes with loneliness and anger as they search for healing in their lives.—Corrina Austin, Locke's Public School, St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada