Stopping to Home

From Publishers Weekly A strong and memorable heroine narrates this compelling debut from Wait, which effectively evokes life in 1806 Maine. After the death of her 30-year-old mother during a pox epidemic and the prolonged absence of her mariner father, 11-year-old Abigail must work for young Widow Chase to earn room and board and to keep her four-year-old brother, Seth, from being sent to the orphanage. "This house is not ours; we are only waiting here until something else happens," Abbie tells herself. However, while they wait, practical and observant Abbie ascertains Widow Chase's dire financial situation, notices that the woman is expecting a baby and schemes a plan using the widow's millinery talents to support and keep them all. Seth's romanticized view of his seafaring father and his high hopes for the man's return (despite the mariner's spotty history) heighten the tension. Throughout, Wait weaves in customs (such as tolling bells when a person dies), language and geography that capture this bustling town by the sea. Ages 8-12. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Gr 4-6-A strong novel. Abbie Chambers, 11, finds work as a housemaid when she and her 4-year-old brother lose their mother to the smallpox epidemic of 1806. The girl holds little hope that their seafaring father will rescue them from their destitute state while young Seth pins all his hopes on the man he has rarely seen. Life in Wiscasset, ME, (then a territory of the State of Massachusetts) is well captured, as is the longing and dread that the two children experience in their rootless state. In the end, the siblings and their benefactress, the pregnant Widow Chase, gradually become a family. Wait's writing is sufficiently accomplished and Abbie is an interesting enough character to prevent the message about the nature of family from overpowering the story. This title will appeal to fans of the "Dear America" series (Scholastic) and to those who may have graduated from the "American Girls" series (Pleasant Co.). The author provides a picture of life and social issues in early 19th-century America while, with only a few very minor exceptions, keeping true to the voice of her preteen narrator.