School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-When sixth-grader Delores "Itch" Colchester's grandpa dies, she and her grandmother leave their beloved Beaver Creek, Florida, home to live near Cousin Effie in a small town Ohio trailer court. Itch isn't happy about leaving her best friend, Bailey, and she misses her grandfather terribly. Then she meets Gwendolyn, a baton-twirling wonder with a dark secret. As their friendship grows, Itch discovers that Gwen is being physically and psychologically abused by her mother. Should she risk her new friendship and speak up about this or just mind her own business? Conversations in her head with her grandfather help her to decide. Michelle Kwasney's memorable story (Holt, 2008), set in 1968, is as much about friendship and growing up as it is about the loss of a loved one and child abuse. Narrator Angela Rogers's earthy voice sets just the right tone, and she deftly gives each character a unique voice. A good discussion starter.-Kathy Miller, Baldwin Junior High School, Baldwin City, KS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Itch, entering sixth grade in 1968, has been raised by her grandparents. Her growing up, that "invisible stuff that happens inside your head, whispering so loud you can't miss it," begins after Gramps dies. Reluctant to accept change, Itch stays at odds with Gram; their slow and believable reconciliation plays out alongside Itch's friendship with Gwendolyn, who's being abused by her mother. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
"Itch" is what Delores's Gramps call her. After he dies, and she and Grams move from their house in Florida to a trailer park in Ohio, Delores decides to look for a new identity. She makes friends with baton-twirling Gwendolyn and, through her, a stylish clique at school. She also befriends Billy, who shares her love of fishing and appreciates her fascination with words. Even with these new friends, she worries about losing her best friend back in Florida, jealously scanning her letters for hints of betrayal. Set in 1968, this novel of friendship is peppered fairly obviously with period details, and more skillfully with issues of classism and domestic violence. The almost entirely character-driven plot gets a finishing touch from a thin narrative arc involving Gramps's old Bel Air. Kwasney's characters are prone to corniness and hyper-astute self-awareness, but they still manage to be fully fleshed and memorable. The melodramatic touches will most likely appeal to readers looking for another making-friends-at-a-new-school book. (Fiction. 10-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
After moving to Ohio, sixth-grader Delores, called Itch, desperately misses her Florida home, her best friend, and the grandfather who raised her to speak up about things that are wrong. It is the 1960s, a time when corporal punishment was still relatively common, and Itch is troubled by the bruises and welts her new friend Wendy hides. Delores loves language, and she opens her first-person narrative with thoughts about the word unjust. Still, the story's central focus isn't injustice as much as it is the process of growing up and finding the courage to speak up about child abuse. The 1960s references provide the realistic backdrop for this moving, believable story. Sympathetic, well-drawn characters draw the reader into Delores' personal struggles to adjust to the passing of her grandfather, a new home in a double-wide trailer, and her need to do the right thing. An afterword offers readers resources if they find themselves needing to report their own knowledge of similar situations of child abuse.--Isaacs, Kathleen Copyright 2008 Booklist
