Spindrift - Hardcover

Rodowsky, Colby

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374371555 ISBN 13: 9780374371555

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2000

Synopsis

A girl resists growing up by hiding from some unpleasant truths

At the beginning of summer, thirteen-year-old Cassie is witness to a disturbing sight. At a party she spots her sister's husband, Mickey, in the arms of another woman. Could it really be him? And with her sister about to give birth to their first child? When Cassie confronts Mickey, he claims it must have been his double. Though it's hard to believe him, Cassie struggles to do so with all her might - she has always adored Mickey and doesn't want to think he could do anything wrong. For distraction Cassie has the company of her good friends Megan and Tommy, along with the refuge of the Spindrift, the beautiful old seaside house where she lives with her mother and grandmother Emma. But even the security of home is threatened when Emma, who runs a bed-and-breakfast out of the Spindrift, decides she'd like to sell the house. Cassie will learn this summer that she can no longer cling to childhood to escape from the unpleasant things that sometimes happen in families.

About this title

About the Author

Colby Rodowsky is the author of many books for children, including The Turnabout Shop and Remembering Mog, an ALA Notable Book. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

From Kirkus Reviews

An engaging tale from Rodowsky (Not My Dog, p. 150, etc.) about an inveterate ``fixer'' who learns that some situations are beyond repair. In the summer after seventh grade, sensible, reliable Cassie's world goes into a dizzying spin. Even as her sister, Cindy, lies in the maternity ward, Cassie spots her charming, funny brother-in-law, Mickey, making out with another woman. She has always prided herself on her ability to fix anything, from a conflict at school to collapsed sand castles, but the world of adult problems proves especially daunting: suddenly, with her newborn, Cindy's moving back to the Spindrift, the bed-and-breakfast where Cassie lives with her mother and grandmother, Emma; Mickey is telling Cassie that he's not ready to be tied down; and Cassie finds a bikini in her sister's house that is definitely not Cindy's. In the wake of all that comes her mother's announcement that they'll be moving, since Emma has found a buyer for the bed-and-breakfast. Rodowsky eases the strain for Cassie (and readers) by including a supporting cast of calming age-mates and Will, a wise older head. Mickey gets no sympathy, but he's not completely vilified either; Cindy, angry and bitter, just labels him immature as she goes off to find a divorce lawyer. The far more promising wedding of Will and Emma ends the story on a rising tone. (Fiction. 11-13) -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0374371555
• ISBN 13: 9780374371555
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144