Betsy Hearne (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 1996 (Vol. 49, No. 8))
Gypsy Arbutus Leemaster-nicknamed Beauty-has fairy tale looks complete with long golden curls, while her cousin Woodrow is cross-eyed, gawky, and awkwardly clad in "hillbilly clothes" that were hand-me-downs to begin with. Beyond outer appearances, though, they have a lot in common. Woodrow's mother has disappeared without a trace, and Gypsy's father is dead. Beyond these facts, we discover the cousins' underlying pain just as they discover their deep friendship for each other during the year Woodrow comes to live with his grandparents, right next door to Gypsy. Woodrow knows that his mother deserted the family (she took some of his clothes and money), and Gypsy knows that her father shot himself (she found his body). Despite these dark themes, much of the novel is light in tone, its natural dialogue spiked with the jokes Gypsy loves to tell and the stories Woodrow spins. Both central and secondary characters are vividly realized in a plot that draws on family dynamics for its tension and energy. The 1950s Appalachian community itself acquires plenty of personality here; White knows her setting well enough to poke fun without sacrificing her affection for the small-town atmosphere. She's also supported her characteristically fine style with a sharpened sense of control developed through two previous books, Sweet Creek Holler (BCCB 10/88) and Weeping Willow (6/92). R--Recommended. Reviewed from galleys (c) Copyright 1996, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1996, Farrar, [208p], $16.00. Grades 5-8.

Joyce A. Litton (The ALAN Review, Fall 1996 (Vol. 24, No. 1))
Ruth White has a strong sense of place in her depiction of Appalachian Coal Station, Virginia, in 1954. Her main theme, the loss of a parent, is a somber one, but she leavens it with humor. Twelve-year-old Woodrow Prater tells fanciful stories about his mother's disappearance a year earlier to silence the curious and to comfort himself. His sixth-grade cousin, Gypsy Leemaster, must come to grips with the reality that she has repressed her father's suicide (when she was five years old) and her discovery of the body. To show her anger at her father, she chops off her waist-length hair which had been his pride. Once Gypsy accepts her loss, Woodrow is able to tell her the truth about his mother. This novel should help young adults who are grieving over a parent. 1996, Farrar Straus & Giroux, 196 pp., $16.00. Ages 12 up.