The Lost Carousel of Provence

The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell   384 pages

From the first moment I saw the title of this novel, I wanted to read it. I received an advanced reader’s copy via Netgallery.com, but since I don’t have an eReader, the folks at Berkley Publishing were kind enough to send me a print copy.

When I read the back copy, the deal was sealed. What reader could resist “An artist lost to history, a family abandoned to its secrets, and the woman who discovers it all?” I was hooked, and the story did not disappoint. This is the book I’ll be talking about probably for the rest of the year.

The story goes like this: Cady Drake is alone in the world. A victim of California’s foster care system, she has a tough time getting close to people. There are only two people whom she trusts, her benefactor, Maxine, and a friend, Olive. Cady barely scrapes by as a local photographer, shooting school pictures, weddings, etc.  She is thrust into a spiral when Maxine suddenly dies. Cady owns an antiques carousel figure, Gus the Rabbit, whom she believes is the work of 20^th century master carver Gutave Bayol. If it is, it would be worth quite a sum. But antiques dealers assure her it is not. One night Cady accidentally breaks Gus. Inside she finds a wooden box. That box changes Cady’s life forever.

Told in dueling timelines, author Blackwell weaves a tale that had me ignoring my family, sending them out for fast food, as I read. The story bounces around from Oakland, California to Paris and other areas of France. It’s a story that transports readers from present day to 1900 to the early 2000s, and other years as they fit the story. It’s a tale of crumbling chateaus, undiscovered treasures, a mysterious photograph, and a surprising twist.

“The Lost Carousel of Provence” received 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

Orphan Train

Orphan Train  by Christina Baker Kline   278 pages

In an act of judging a book by its cover, I thought that Orphan Train was a story about the Kindertransport, the organized rescue effort that happened during the nine months before the outbreak of World War II when approximately 10,000 from Germany, Poland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. They were placed in foster homes, schools, farm and hostels in the United Kingdom.

In a way I was wrong and right. This story is about the relocation of children, but instead of Europe, it happened here in in America between 1854 and 1929. Indigent, orphaned or abandoned children from the East Coast were put on trains to be fostered or adopted by Midwestern families, who often treated them like slaves.

Christina Baker Kline’s novel, Orphan Train, tackles this almost-forgotten aspect of American history. Vacillating between Spruce Harbor, Maine, in 2011, and New York, Chicago, and Minnesota of 1929 to 1943, readers meet two children in dire circumstances.

First is seventeen-year-old Molly, who has been sentenced to community service. She is to help an old woman cleanout her attic. The old woman, Vivian, maybe ninety-one years old, but she has a few sparks left in her. Her whole life is in that attic. She doesn’t so much want to clean it out, but look back and remember her life.

Vivian, along with her parents and three siblings, emigrated from Ireland in 1929. She and her parents lived in one of New York City’s infamous tenements. After her family dies in a fire, Vivian, whose birth name is Niamh Power, is sent to the Children’s Aid Society and ultimately placed on a train bound for Minnesota.

While Molly’s story frames Vivian’s story, both take solace in each other. Molly learns that she doesn’t have it so bad after all. Poor Vivian went by several names before Vivian was finally settled on her.

This is a tale of loss, turbulence, resilience, second chances, adaptability, and courage. Be prepared to not get anything else accomplished once you start this wonderfully woven tale.

Orphan Train receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Orbiting Jupiter

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt, 183 pages

Jack’s new foster brother, Joseph, is a little scary.  They say he tried to kill a teacher and that he has a three month old daughter, even though he’s only thirteen.  But Jack isn’t scared of him.  When Joseph helps to milk the cows, they trust him and besides that, Jack can see something in Joseph.  He isn’t sure what, but he knows that Joseph needs a safe place.   Little by little Joseph starts to trust his new family and starts to share some of his story with them.  As Joseph’s story unfolds, Jack and his family become more determined to help him.  This is an excellent story about a pair of boys who are just trying to make their way in the world.  Teens who like realistic fiction will really like this book.

Kinda Like Brothers

Kinda Like Brothers by Coe Booth, 248 pages

Jarrett is used to his mom bringing in foster kids, but they have always been babies and Jarrett has never had to have much to do with them.  This time is different.  The baby has an older brother, Kevon, who is not only a little older than Jarrett, but is also going to be sleeping in Jarrett’s room.  Jarrett thinks that Kevon is a big pain.  He doesn’t want him butting into his life.  Everyone thinks that they ought to be able to friends, but Jarrett doesn’t trust Kevon and he isn’t going to let that happen.  Jarret knows that Kevon is hiding something and when he figures out what it is, maybe he can figure out how to get him out of his life.  This is a story about two boys learning to accept each other’s differences and get along.  A lot of kids who like realistic fiction will enjoy this book.