Gr 5-8-- Almost-13-year-old Maggie has a loving mother, a terrific young stepmother, and a father whose delight in seeing her each summer is apparent. This year, there's an infant half-sister for Maggie to meet. The status quo is perfect. But even before her arrival at the rented marsh-side cottage, the girl senses that something isn't right. Her father's anger is barely under control; the relationship between him and his wife is rapidly deteriorating; and Maggie is too young to understand fully the troubles that are destroying them. When she learns that her father's health is poor, and he confesses that he has lost his job and hasn't told his wife, she feels mired in a marsh of complex adult emotions. As she tries to sort things out, she sees a blue heron. It becomes a symbol in her life, especially when she discovers that someone is trying to kill it with a bow and arrow. This is a complex novel, and it is needlessly complicated by symbolism. An overburdened story line about the heron's would-be killer, a lonely boy, is never fully explored and serves to muddle rather than enrich and enhance. The important thread, that of a happy family coming apart because of events seemingly beyond their control--depression, poor health, unemployment--is poignant enough without further intricacies. --Marjorie Lewis, Scarsdale Junior High School, NY
Maggie Lavchek believes in magic. Magic doesn't change things. It keeps them the same. Maybe that's what she was hoping as the plane she had taken from her home in Seattle, Washington touched down on the airstrip in Westport, Connecticut. Maggie's parents were divorced, and this was her yearly summer visit with her father and his wife Joanna, who had just had a baby. The four of them were going to spend part of the summer at Sawdy Pond, a lakeside cottage in Massachusetts. But from the start Maggie has a feeling things aren't going to work out. All of Joanna's attention is focused on the baby, and something is terribly wrong with her father. When he isn't sleeping, he seems to spend all of his time on the phone. Early every morning Maggie escapes down to the marshes where she had discovered a blue heron her first day at Sawdy Pond. The beautiful gray-blue bird seems to be the only thing she can count upon. But someone is tracking the heron, and Maggie has to stop him before it is too late.
1023575364
Blue Heron
Maggie Lavchek believes in magic. Magic doesn't change things. It keeps them the same. Maybe that's what she was hoping as the plane she had taken from her home in Seattle, Washington touched down on the airstrip in Westport, Connecticut. Maggie's parents were divorced, and this was her yearly summer visit with her father and his wife Joanna, who had just had a baby. The four of them were going to spend part of the summer at Sawdy Pond, a lakeside cottage in Massachusetts. But from the start Maggie has a feeling things aren't going to work out. All of Joanna's attention is focused on the baby, and something is terribly wrong with her father. When he isn't sleeping, he seems to spend all of his time on the phone. Early every morning Maggie escapes down to the marshes where she had discovered a blue heron her first day at Sawdy Pond. The beautiful gray-blue bird seems to be the only thing she can count upon. But someone is tracking the heron, and Maggie has to stop him before it is too late.
12.99
In Stock
5
1
12.99
In Stock
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
BN ID: | 2940170671557 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Recorded Books, LLC |
Publication date: | 06/14/2013 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
Age Range: | 10 - 13 Years |
Videos
From the B&N Reads Blog