Scattergood

At the start of this WWII novel by Bouwman (Gossamer Summer), almost-13-year-old Peggy makes three secret promises to herself: find a cure for her 14-year-old cousin Delia’s leukemia; become irresistible to “swoony” 16-year-old German-Jewish Gunther, recently arrived at Scattergood, the nearby Quaker hostel for Jewish refugees; and make something exciting happen for herself. Set in a small Iowa farming community and beginning in June 1941, the novel delves into Peggy’s attempts to pursue those goals while pondering life’s unfairness, including why science can’t give her the answers she needs to help Delia. Especially strong are the depictions of daily farm routines, from the milking of grateful cows to collecting eggs from begrudging chickens. Equally effective is Peggy’s somewhat naive but thoughtful, determined voice as she tries to process Delia’s diagnosis (“Up to six months. Was that how long Delia was going to be sick? Or worse...”) and befriends a gruff Dutch-Jewish professor at Scattergood, who teaches her to play chess while recounting frightening tales from the Old Testament. A steady narrative pace and a variety of secondary characters who inspire questions in Peggy solidify the book’s overall appeal. All characters present as white. Ages 10–up. (Jan.)