The Fred Field

Picking up where the powerful Oren Bell left off, this remarkable sequel follows the members of the Bell family through the summer after young Fred Lightfoot's murder in the crack house next door. Once again Burgess turns her penetrating eye on a cast of unforgettable characters: in addition to Oren, there's younger sister Brenda, whose self-constructed world of ghosts and omens has its own complicated set of rules that even she is finding are too hard to live by; Grandpa Bell, only recently dried out; Latonya, Oren's bossy twin, kept busy planning the wedding of their mother to veterinarian Jack Daniels; and the Goon Eye, a onetime bully who holds a terrible secret and wants more than anything to be loved. On the surface, the book centers on the attempts of Oren and his friends to find Fred's killer and ease the pain of his death. But Burgess weaves intricate patterns beneath the surface, and underlying the mystery are the compelling stories of a family facing the joy and terror of imminent change and of a troubled urban community struggling to maintain its identity. Throughout, the voices of the characters sing out loud and strong, filled with wit and wisdom--the result is a beautiful, haunting look at individuals who confront life with open arms. Ages 10-14. (June)