Blue Skies
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Kate DiCamillo’s Louisiana’s Way Home, this heartwarming novel tells the story of ten-year-old Glory Bea as she prepares for a miracle of her very own—her father’s return home.
Glory Bea Bennett knows that miracles happen in Gladiola, Texas, population 3,421. After all, her grandmother—the best matchmaker in the whole county—is responsible for thirty-nine of them.
Now, Glory Bea needs a miracle of her own.
The war ended three years ago, but Glory Bea’s father never returned home from the front in France. Glory Bea understands what Mama and Grams and Grandpa say—that Daddy died a hero on Omaha Beach—yet deep down in her heart, she believes Daddy is still out there.
When the Gladiola Gazette reports that one of the boxcars from the Merci Train (the “thank you” train)—a train filled with gifts of gratitude from the people of France—will be stopping in Gladiola, she just knows daddy will be its surprise cargo.
But miracles, like people, are always changing, until at last they find their way home.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
More than three years after WWII, fifth grader Glory Bea's father is still MIA. Everyone assumes he's dead except Glory Bea, who refuses to give up hope of a miracle: "he's going to find us." When her father's soldier buddy Randall Horton comes for a visit, she isn't pleased with the attention her mother pays him, especially after Randall becomes a permanent resident of their small Texas town. As the adults' relationship grows romantic, resentful Glory Bea strives to drive Randall away. She eagerly awaits the arrival of the Merci Train, delivering, as thanks for wartime help, boxcars full of gifts from France and, she believes, her father ("Why else would it stop in Gladiola?"). Bustard (Anywhere but Paradise) captures a patriotic spirit in post-WWII America in this novel inspired by the real-life Merci Train. Although the book's outcome is fairly predictable, it offers well-researched details about the era and themes relatable to a modern audience. A subplot regarding Glory Bea's playing matchmaker for her two best friends adds humor and interest, highlighting the protagonist's determined attitude. Ages 8 12.
