Light and Air

Wendell’s well-constructed historical debut, set in 1930s Upstate New York, chronicles six months of dramatic changes in fifth grader Hallelujah “Halle” Grace Newton’s life as she and her family navigate the tuberculosis epidemic. When Halle’s mother—whom Halle considers as her loving, steadfast lodestar, unlike her father, who always seems angry with her—contracts tuberculosis and is admitted to a sanatorium 20 miles away, Halle’s life becomes a misery. She and her father test positive for the disease but remain asymptomatic; still, her schoolmates shun her. Her ill-conceived secret plan to walk to the sanatorium to be with her mother hastens Halle’s budding case of pneumonia, resulting in her admittance as a patient, too. As Halle recovers, she bonds with other children in the ward, all of them undergoing “sun curing or air curing” treatments, but still pines for her mother, whose health is not improving. Via unflinching depictions of tragedy and strife, richly rendered period detail, and emotionally honest interpretations of parent-child relationships, Wendell builds satisfying suspense as Halle breaks facility rules to help her mother recover and struggles to win her father’s affection. Historical notes conclude. Halle is white; supporting characters are racially diverse. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)