cover image Tory and Me and the Spirit of True Love

Tory and Me and the Spirit of True Love

Margaret Bechard. Viking Children's Books, $14 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-670-84688-7

Emily Osgood discovers a lot about amatory matters in this old-fashioned family story, by turns funny and tender. It's summertime, and Emily and her imaginative cousin Tory become fascinated with the mysterious past of their recently departed Aunt Louisa. Tory is convinced there is a romantic tragedy waiting to be uncovered, and Emily is content to follow her cousin's lead. Cranky old Uncle Arthur, however, eventually sets the girls straight about true love, and about how appearances can be deceiving. The members of Emily and Tory's large extended family all live nearby, making their sleepy hometown as comfortable for readers as a big Sunday dinner. Youngsters looking for excitement and contemporary issues should go farther afield than this low-key novel, but Bechard's ( My Sister, My Science Report ) cheerful look into an ``ordinary'' family ambles along without the baggage of dysfunctional characteristics. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)