Hannah in Between

The growing suspicion that her mother might be an alcoholic, despite her family's denials, threatens twelve-year-old Hannah's safe and predictable world when she decides to face the truth about her mother's condition.

Grade 5-8-A problem novel told by a child who sees much more than the adults around her would like to believe. The year between Hannah's 12th and 13th birthdays begins in usual fashion-with a family party and a newspaper column devoted to her by her journalist grandfather. Even so, the girl can see that her predictable, comfortable life is about to crumble. Hannah's mother is an alcoholic, and her family is a study in avoidance. The blinders on the adults may be hard to swallow for some, but Hannah's emotions are painfully real as they run the gamut from tormented confusion as she becomes more and more certain that something is terribly wrong, to desperate fear as she gets in the car with her drunk mother. This is a story about secrets and the inevitable exposure of a problem, and not a story about healing, so it's not surprising that the resolution comes so quickly. It's also a story about a girl with very normal adolescent concerns that surface amidst the hard truths she faces over this year, anchoring the novel for young teens who are sure to be attracted by Hannah's direct gaze on the cover.
Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Once again Rodowsky ( Julie's Daughter ) is right on target in her expression of the perspective and concerns of a young adolescent in crisis. Twelve-year-old Hannah's childhood comes to a quick halt when she realizes that her mother's drinking is getting out of control. Since no one else in the family is willing to admit there is a problem, Hannah carries the terrible secret alone, doing her best to rid the house of empty vodka bottles and hide her mother's erratic behavior from friends. When her mother's drunk driving leads to a serious automobile accident, Hannah's father is finally forced to admit his wife is an alcoholic, but he cannot produce a solution or promise a brighter future. This heartrending novel offers a frank, sensitive depictions of alcoholism and its effects. Far from seeming a monster, Hannah's mother emerges as a caring woman suffering many disappointments. Her painful struggle to regain sobriety proves to be as moving as her daughter's attempts to create order out of chaos. Through the author's keenly perceptive, down-to-earth narrative, readers will sense the strong bond of love that connects the members of Hannah's family and ultimately helps deep wounds to heal. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A well-regarded author (Lucy Peale, 1992), portrays one family's response to a member's alcoholism. During the year after Hannah, 12, realizes that her mother's drinking has become excessive, she and both parents go through classic phases. Hanna is already reluctant to invite friends home because of Mom's erratic behavior, but finding a cache of empties dramatizes her problem's magnitude; and if Mom's behavior at a wedding where she's the photographer is embarrassing, driving home with her afterwards is terrifying. Hannah believes no one else is aware of Mom's problem. She first denies, then accepts but conceals it, then tries but fails to confide in several appropriate people; finally, she levels with Dad, who's been trying to protect her. Mom's denial persists even after an accident lands her in the hospital; fortunately, photos the distraught Hannah takes when Mom is literally out of her mind with d.t.'s propel her into AA. It's close to a best-case scenario, but not an unlikely one; incidents are deftly chosen, characters realized with insight and skill. For contrast, send readers to Moonlight Man (1986), Fox's incisive portrait of an alcoholic father who spurns any hope of change. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 5-8. Hannah loves her mother, but these days doing that isn't quite as easy as it used to be. Now Mom is forgetful and loud and argumentative. She has headaches, and she sleeps too much. When Hannah finds the vodka bottles stashed all over the summer house, she realizes the truth. Is she the only one who knows? Should she keep her mother's secret? Can she? Rodowsky focuses on the situation, not the characters, here, and the bibliotherapeutic message is unmistakable. Yet she gives readers plenty to chew on as they read the story--the mother's erratic behavior and the family's initial denial ring true, and Hannah is a likable, striking kid believably enmeshed in the suffocating trap of a dysfunctional family. There's no escaping her embarrassment when strangers comment on Mom's behavior; there's no missing her shock when she realizes Dad doesn't know how to cope or when she sees her mother raving; and there's no denying her apprehensiveness when Mom begins the hard road back to wellness. Although Rodowsky may have us following a predictable path, she guides us forward with sensitivity and a sure hand. Stephanie Zvirin