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Peace, Locomotion
Companion volume to Locomotion

by Jacqueline Woodson

     

In this companion volume to Jacqueline Woodson's award winning story, Locomotion,  Lonnie and his little sister Lili are in foster homes, but not the same foster home.  They both seem to have good homes now, and Lonnie feels comfortable with his situation.  It's Lonnie's job to write down everything that happens and to keep in touch with his sister.

This story is written in the form of letters from Lonnie to Lili as he explores his life in foster care, and the worries about his little sister, and his foster brother who is in the army. Lonnie has a lyrical language that is all his own, and he reflects on the concepts of family, peace, love and loss. I could really feel his joy as well as his pain in these emotional letters.   His growing maturity shines through.

Woodson is in a class of her own when it comes to chronicling the lives of kids who are at risk and live in the world of slums, foster homes and abusive family relationships.  Her thought-provoking stories should be read by kids in every level of society, and belong in every library.

The Book

Putnam Juvenile
January 22, 2009
Hardcover (Reviewed from the Advance Uncorrected Proof)
0-399-24655-X / 978-0-399-24655-5
Tween Fiction / Ages 9-12
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Beverly J. Rowe
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer Beverly J. Rowe is Myshelf.com's "Babes to Teens" columnist, covering topics related to reading ideas for the youth in the family.
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