Ms. Zephyr's Notebook.

Deborah Dowson is a Canaadian children’s librarian in North Wales,
Pennsylvania.

Abigail Zephyr’s students are patients in the children’s ward at Evergreen Hospital. Logan, Kip, and Cleo are asked to make a journal entry in Ms. Zephyr’s notebook every day as part of their homework assignment. When Logan learns that Cleo has run away and might be at risk, he steals the notebook in the hope that it will give him a clue to Cleo’s intentions. As Logan reads the notebook to Kip, he not only discovers where Cleo has gone, but he realizes things about himself and Cleo that he hadn’t recognized before. The journal is an honest record of both their relationship and their process of healing: a journey that begins with anger, denial and bitterness but ultimately leads to understanding, acceptance, and hope.

The kids reveal themselves through their journal entries, but they also reveal facts and impressions about each other. The notebook also contains correspondence and memos from parents, teachers, doctors, and others that provide a broader perspective on the lives of the characters, and increase the realistic tone of the story. The framework of the notebook also creates suspense and intrigue, as the reader must piece together the story from these different perspectives. There is also a constant sense of urgency that Logan will find Cleo before anything unfortunate happens to her. The story shares the characters’ struggles in a very interesting, honest, thoughtful, and touching way. Highly recommended.