![]() ![]() Han’s leisurely paced, somewhat somber narrative revisits several beach-house summers in flashback through the eyes of now 15-year-old Isabel, known to all as Belly.īelly measures her growing self by these summers and by her lifelong relationship with the older boys, her brother and her mother’s best friend’s two sons. Though not a happily-ever-after tale, it dramatizes how one person can stand up to unfairness, be it in front of Senate hearings or in the classroom. The dialogue is sharp, carrying a good part of this story of friends and foes, guilt and courage-a story that ought to send readers off to find out more about McCarthy, his witch-hunt and the First Amendment. Cushman offers a fine sense of the times with such cultural references as President Truman, Hopalong Cassidy, Montgomery Clift, Lucky Strike, “duck and cover” and the Iron Curtain. This is not a story about the McCarthy era so much as one about how one girl-who has been trained to be quiet and obedient by her school, family, church and culture-learns to speak up for herself. When she meets Sophie Bowman and her father, she’s encouraged to think about issues in the news: the atomic bomb, peace, communism and blacklisting. It’s 1949, and 13-year-old Francine Green lives in “the land of ‘Sit down, Francine’ and ‘Be quiet, Francine’ ” at All Saints School for Girls in Los Angeles. Like George himself, this unlikely adventure has its flaws, but it’s not without a quirky charm. Still, some readers may enjoy George’s amusingly self-centered narration enough to reach, and appreciate, the positive ending. Unfortunately, the action comes late and George’s unpleasant personality has been so clearly drawn that his conversion to caring friend isn’t entirely believable. ![]() George manages to survive and even saves one of his erstwhile enemies. Things go spectacularly wrong, however, when a hurricane hits and he’s inadvertently left behind when the group evacuates. From a painful game of touch football to the punishment meted out for a prank played on their chaperone, nothing goes right for George. But a weeklong field trip at the shore offers plenty of opportunities for trouble. Until now, George has managed to escape the worst of the bullying handed out by his huskier classmates. He’s also small, pale and extremely near-sighted. A spoiled brainiac learns to appreciate others in this mildly entertaining but not particularly convincing first effort.
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