Phoebe and the Gypsy

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

Canadian Phoebe Hiller is visiting her grandmother in a tiny English
village where strangers are rare. She is the talk of the village and
feels like an “alien” because of her accent and her unfamiliarity
with English customs. Increasing her discomfort are visions she
experiences of her father when he was a child growing up in this
village, and of future events. The turning point comes when she meets a
gypsy woman who identifies her visions as “the sight,” a talent that
can be used for good. This talent enables Phoebe to save her grandmother
from drowning, thereby ensuring her own acceptance by the villagers.

Many themes are packed into this intriguing novel. Young readers learn
about the problems of assimilation in another culture when Canadians are
the ones who have to adapt. They also learn about two different
cultures—British and Romany—through Phoebe’s eyes. Phoebe’s
association with the gypsy leads not only to her saving her grandmother
but also to her resolving an old sorrow for her father. She also
overcomes her phobia about dogs when she must enlist help from one in
the rescue of her grandmother.

Phoebe and the Gypsy is an engrossing, excellent first chapter book,
highly recommended for its sophisticated, well-written plot and
intriguing themes.