Winterfolk

Gr 7 Up—Fifteen-year-old Rain lives among the homeless in a tent with her father in Seattle, WA. While her father struggles with alcoholism and making money from bead jewelry, Rain is fiercely guarded by King, a homeless 17-year-old who is determined to shield her from dangerous people and places that he knows well. When "Public Notice of Demolition" signs appear overnight stating that trespassers must leave, Rain's community is distraught but resigned. One day before their eviction, King warily takes Rain into the city where she discovers iconic landmarks; King's hangouts; his drug-dealing nemesis, Cook; the unexpected kindness of strangers; and her own vulnerability. Although no clear solutions are offered, Rain's story portrays the visceral poverty, social isolation, and self-reliance within her homeless community. Her first-person narrative reveals a teenager who wants to know more about life, feels physical attraction to King, and is comforted by mystical beliefs in stars and wishes. Rain's spare spoken words belie her fluent narrative thoughts and evocative descriptions. Rain and King embody loyalty and hope, but their cryptic dialogue and interactions and tacit understandings fuel unanswered questions about plot action, relationships, events, and their future.