Leaves in October, The - Hardcover

What will life be like in a shelter for the homeless?

That's what Livvy wonders after her father, "Poppy," loses his job and her mother leaves them.

While their father looks for work, Livvy and her little brother, Younger, get to know the people in the shelter. Some are scary, while some are friendly. Before long Livvy finds a way to earn money to help Poppy buy a home. She can't stop believing in Poppy's promise "When the leaves in October are red and gold, we'll be home."

Then one day Poppy has good news and bad news. Will Livvy have to give up her dreams of living together as a family?

Grade 5-8-- Ackerman breaks new ground for younger readers in her poignant story of a homeless family who must come to terms with poverty, dependency, and possible separation. Abandoned by his wife and laid off from his factory job, Livvy's father struggles to provide for nine-year-old Livvy and her six-year-old brother, Younger. Livvy is resourceful and energetic, embarking on a money-making tissue-flower venture to help subsidize their father's promise that they'll have a home by October. Meanwhile, other homeless adults in the shelter resent the children's enterprise and income. Certain episodes are convenient thematic exposes: the confessional letter to Livvy from her mother explaining why she abandoned her family and the schoolteacher turned bag lady whom Livvy recruits to teach the children. Nonetheless, characterizations are strong, and the plot is a well-paced series of setbacks and successes. While other children's novels about the homeless portray independent characters learning to cope, this one presents the emotional distress and determination of a family struggling to stay together when the single parent must go in search of work. Livvy will capture hearts with her sensitivity, tenacity, and courage. --Gerry Larson, Chewning Junior High School, Durham, NC
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.