| Virginia Eide plans to have fun the summer of 1933, as most 14 year-old girls plan to do. But the economy of the depression, and the fact that her father is a doctor, precludes young Jenny from actualizing her dream.
The hard times has produced many jobless men and families who have have lost everything and have nowhere to go. They unify and claim a parcel of land near the Souix City railroad line, naming their town Soo-City. The local factory employs a large percentage of the town's men,who also unify, but the owner of the factory refuses to negotiate any terms with them. Virginia's family is caught up in the events inspired by both groups. Her father tries to provide medical help to the injured strikers and also comes to the aid of the Soo-City residents when the local sheriff tries to blame them for the casualties of the strike. This novel allows the reader to walk through the maturation process of a young girl growing up during difficult tumes. Jenny loses her bedroom, and her privacy, to her uncle and his family when they move in, but she learns to deal with adversity and to forgive when her life experiences step in and form her future. | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of book? - very sensitive (sigh) Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's Political/social activism Yes Plotlet: Poverty, surviving Yes Kind of living: - general poverty story Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - a teen Main Adversary How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Average intelligence Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 4 () Writing Style Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |
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