Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. This entry in the Friends for a Season series tells a good story, punctuating it with scripture verses and other religious ideas. Thirteen-year-old Meg is spending the summer, as she usually does, on her grandparents' Oregon berry farm. But this year things are different. Tia, the daughter of the farm's Hispanic overseer, could be a friend, but there are hurdles to overcome. Meg's mother and her husband are about to have a baby, and Meg's dad, an army colonel, may be leaving the service, causing Meg to wonder if she should move and live with him on the farm. There are two overriding themes here: Meg's questions about where and with whom she should live and the nature of her friendship with a girl of another culture. Byrd effectively uses scripture verses that utilize vineyard imagery, and Meg's conversations with God help bring clarity to her problems. A solid offering with a likable heroine. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2005 Booklist