Lone Star

In 1944, Jane Miller's family leaves Chicago and their Jewish community for Corpus Christi, Texas, where Jane's parents clash and where a visit from her orthodox grandfather forces them to confront their identities

Grade 5-8-- Forced to move from Chicago to Corpus Christi, Texas because of her father's business, ten-year-old Jane Miller explores her Jewish heritage as she struggles to fit in with her primarily Christian classmates. Set in the 1940s, Jane's family's problems are magnified by worry about what is happening in Europe. Her brother, Jeff, has just reached draft age, and many relatives in Poland have disappeared. Jane's grandfather, an Orthodox Jew, believes obeying all Jewish laws is more important now than ever, while her father understands Jane's desire to have a Christmas tree and attend holiday parties with her new friends. On her own she tries to understand religious differences as well as the tensions between her parents. Each family member feels guilt and anger about their current situation; their conflicts and love are realistically described. Non-Jewish readers will gain a greater understanding of Jewish beliefs and holiday rituals. The evocative story has a strong sense of time and place and is also successful in capturing the point of view of a child. Written for a younger audience but similar in tone and theme to Kathryn Lasky's Pageant (Four Winds, 1986), Lone Star will appeal to a wide audience. --Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, County of Henrico Public Library--Fairfield Area Library, Richmond,
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

It's fall 1944, and 10-year-old Jane Miller has moved from Chicago to Corpus Christi, Tex. A Jew and a "Yank," Jane is further alienated from her classmates by her family's sudden poverty--the result of her indulgent father's having embezzled funds from the insurance company he works for. As Mr. Miller tries to repair the damage he's done to his family, Jane longs desperately to fit into her strange new environment. Her beloved Orthodox grandfather visits, but fails to console her: "Friends are not as important as living a life of dedication," he declares. When Jane's new friend Sally invites her to help trim a Christmas tree, Jane is enchanted and wants a tree of her own. In her first novel, actress Barrie sets Jane's wrestling with her own identity against a sensitively and economically drawn backdrop of family conflict, all overshadowed by the gradual revelations of the atrocities Hitler has wreaked on European Jewry. Although the dialogue is occasionally stiff and a few characters are not fully evoked, Barrie's protagonists are original, and her story both memorable and moving. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.