Telling

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

Sue (the eldest), Alex (the middle child), and Corey (the youngest at
13) Erikson have had to learn to cope with the frequent absences of
their mother, a single parent struggling to make ends meet while raising
her three daughters alone. The girls have been forced to grow up,
perhaps too quickly, and to rely on one another for support and
guidance. One method they have devised to help foster this dependence is
ritualized “Tellings”—late night sessions during which they
confide what’s been happening in their lives, truthfully, with secret
thoughts included. This intriguing book recounts the events of one
summer.

Though the “Tellings” contain some shocking truths, they enable
the sisters to appreciate and understand each other better as well as
learn some important lessons about themselves.

Fans of Carol Matas’s earlier books will enjoy this new offering.
Recommended for intermediate-level readers.