I Don’t Know How the Story Ends

When 12-year-old Isobel’s mother takes her daughters to California for the summer to stay with her sister, the family gets a rapid introduction to Hollywood’s burgeoning motion picture industry. It’s 1918, Isobel’s physician father has been aiding soldiers in France for months, and the worry is eating at her. But she is quickly swept up by Aunt Buzzy’s adopted son and his cameraman, who are obsessed with making a film that will catch the eye of (real-life) director D.W. Griffith. Their weakness is script writing, which turns out to be Isobel’s strength, and her younger sister, Sylvie, is quite the actress. Cheaney (Somebody on This Bus Is Going to Be Famous) offers a zippy coming-of-age romp featuring cameos from film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford, as well as lovely descriptions of a blooming Hollywood (“The house suddenly bulged with young men and ladies whose wild hair and flashing eyes and reckless laughter broke the evening into sharp, bright little pieces”). Readers will be absorbed as Cheaney’s characters embrace their creativity and find comfort through the art of film. Ages 10–up. Agent: Erin Buterbaugh, MacGregor Literary Agency. (Oct.)