The year is 1946. Seven-year-old Roberta lives in Washington, D.C., with her parents-but this summer they send her to live with her grandparents in rural North Carolina for one month while her mother is on bed rest for a difficult pregnancy. Roberta doesn"t want to leave home. She"s even more worried that the new baby might take her place in the family. So, while her momma and daddy are making quite a fuss over the unborn baby, she creates a secret wish. But soon she finds herself involved in the rhythms of the country and the extended family she comes to know. Like a circle, a family unit holds together: a small ring inside a greater circle of loved ones. Alice McGill"s captivating story transports readers to a vivid time and place-and shares the joys and pangs of a child"s growing heart. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

This somewhat stilted novel centers on seven-year-old Roberta, an African-American girl who goes to stay with her paternal grandparents in rural North Carolina after her pregnant mother is put on bed rest during the summer of 1946. Resentful of her soon-to-arrive sibling and of the fact that she must leave home, Roberta nevertheless refuses to confide her feelings to anyone, even when prodded by her grandmother. The child's ambivalence surfaces whenever she plays at the home of a neighboring family with a newborn, who begins to wail when Roberta tries to hold him ("I don't like babies.... Because babies don't like me," she announces). Unlike McGill's Molly Bannaky, this novel offers little feeling for the time or setting, though children expecting a new sibling will likely identify with Roberta's volatile emotions. Unfortunately, some extraneous dialogue and uneven pacing make the tale difficult to follow at times, and muddy its message (e.g., when Grampa attempts to explain family circles to Roberta: "The family circle can have a whole lot of circles.One day you gonna become a part of a circle different from the one you in right now. That way, the circle go round and round for years and years. Folks in the family circle love each other like your daddy and mama love you"). Final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 7-10. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 2-4-When Roberta's pregnant mother must stay in bed for a month, the seven-year-old is sent to stay with Gramma Louise and Grampa Dave in North Carolina. It's the summer of 1946, and the pace of the narrative is as gentle as the pace of the rural life that McGill lovingly describes. Roberta is a city girl who loves her roller skates, which are pretty useless on dirt roads. Instead, she develops an appreciation for singing games, farm chores, recitations, barbecue, and cutting out paper dolls. Meanwhile, her secret wish (that the baby inside her mother will go to sleep and not wake up) and corresponding guilt are resolved in a thoroughly natural way, by interactions with friends and relatives (in particular, an older girl who actually enjoys being a big sister). Throughout, the strength of African-American family traditions forms an important undercurrent. A rhythmic voice and a clear eye characterize McGill's writing. The emotions, even the darker ones, are handled with a light yet never dismissive touch. And readers new to chapter books will welcome Evans's drawings, which are skillfully done with a stylized sense of simplicity. All in all, an appealing read with a very human heroine.-Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, ILCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 2-5. It's the summer of 1946, and Roberta Robinson is headed to her grandparents' North Carolina farm where she's to stay until her mother, eight months pregnant, gives birth to her new sibling. The quiet story that ensues follows Roberta through her weeks in the country as she befriends the neighbor kids, learns the rhythms of farm life, and writes letters to her mother in Washington, D.C. The story's slow pace may lose some readers, and Evans' naive-style illustrations don't do much to extend the characters or story. But Roberta's constant anxiety about the new baby is authentic and compelling, and the historical details add appeal, showing what children in the rural African American community ate and wore, and, most interesting, how they played during the time. A good choice for more contemplative chapter-book readers, from the author of In the Hollow of Your Hand(2000) and Miles' Song(2000). Gillian Engberg. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.