Stealing Mt. Rushmore
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
"Daphne Kalmar has created a wonderfully imperfect cast of characters and gathered them into a story that will break your heart. . . and heal it again. Stealing Mt. Rushmore has it all." —Marion Dane Bauer, author of the Newberry Honor novel On My Honor
In Stealing Mt. Rushmore, Daphne Kalmar brings to life the social and political upheaval of the 1970s, revealing the heart of a family on the verge of falling apart and the courage of a young girl who does all she can to bring them together.
She almost always made things worse. But at least she'd be standing there.
I hated her for stealing the money. But I want her back.
Nellie's dad had planned on having four boys to name after the presidents on Mt. Rushmore. He got George, Nellie, Tom, and Teddy. No Abe.
It's the summer of 1974. Nellie's turned thirteen. Her best friend, Maya, has a crush on a boy. President Nixon might get impeached. And her mom's run off. The money for their family road trip to see Mt. Rushmore is missing and her dad's crawled into bed and won't get up.
Nellie's sure the trip out West will fix her family, and she'll do almost anything to come up with the cash. But she begins to wonder why it's always her, the girl, who's stuck with the dishes and everything else. And how can a mom just up and leave with no note, no forwarding address, no nothing?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set against the backdrop of the Nixon Watergate scandal, this leisurely work of historical fiction follows a working-class family weathering the summer heat and navigating a new reality in 1974 Boston. Twelve-year-old, horoscope-obsessed Taurus Susan B. Anthony, aka Nellie, lives with her father, a short-order cook who struggles to support Nellie and her three brothers all named after Mt. Rushmore presidents since his wife left five months previously. After discovering that she also took the $500 meant for the family's summer trip to Mt. Rushmore, Nellie's dad angrily retreats, leaving her to run the house. The girl decides to raise the money herself, even if it means selling her mom's belongings. But despite rescuing a cheerful dog from an abusive owner, Nellie's summer seems destined for losses social and familial, including any hope of her mother's return. Nellie is a likable main character, laudably kind to her sensitive younger brother and loyal to her family, but a languishing pace further slowed by sprinkled-in cultural references may deter young readers. Ages 8 12.
