Castaways

Today is Molly's 14th birthday. She has changed so much in the last year. She went from a young girl who hated makeup, nail polish, pink and all things girly. She was known for her explosive temper. This year she has blossomed into a beautiful young woman who wears makeup and pink (she's still not thrilled with nail polish) and dresses like a girl. She's become someone I enjoy spending time with, her temper is seen only rarely, and even when it is, she has it under control. We got her a cellphone for her birthday; it's prepaid, but she can still text. Half of the original minutes we gave her were gone in two days from text messages. Her pocket is constantly chirping. This may not have been one of my best decisions. The day after she got it she was texting a friend on it, talking to Ian on the house phone, and instant messaging her friends on the computer. That's the picture above. Other pictures are just me being a proud mom. Today we ran into town to drop off packages at the post office. I asked Molly to run across the street to the library to drop off some movies and a book. Texting as she went, she walked into the building directly across the street, looked up and said, "Where do I put these?" to which the tellers shrugged in confusion. She was so busy texting, she had walked into the bank. When she told Ian about this, he called her stupid. She said, "I'm not stupid, I'm Molly. There's a difference." Happy birthday Molly Mae!

Castaways by Rob Vollmar is a graphic novel portraying the story of young Tucker Freeman who runs away from home in the midst of the Depression to stop being a burden to his mother. Pablo Callejo does a masterful job with the artwork in depicting the era and its people. The scenes are all tinged with blue, as if even the air hung heavy with the sorrow of the times. The people are drawn cleanly and emotions are laid bare. A black hobo Elijah Hopkins takes Tucker under his wing and introduces him to the world of riding the rails. Tucker faces racism and violence in his time away before returning home a changed boy. The story and dialogue are well-done, and the action moves quickly. It would be perfect reading for schools for education about the Great Depression and racism. My one and only complaint is that is was too short. I wanted to read more of the adventures of Tucker and Elijah and their life on the road.

We've had company dropping in all day and more are coming tonight, so I've got to get supper started and finish the laundry. If you have time, stop by Midwest Book Reviews. They are carrying some of my reviews this month. Don't forget to enter the book contest to win a copy of Wanda Brunstetter's A Sister's Secret. Just drop me an email or post a comment with a story of a sweet or silly story about your sister. Tomorrow I'll post an interview with Wanda and as well as the winner.