Worlds Apart

The unique setting of this bittersweet novel adds a fresh twist to the timeless theme of a "new kid" trying to fit into an unfamiliar environment. Until November 1, 1959, eighth grader Winona has lived in a "nice, normal Chicago neighborhood" and has enjoyed popularity at school. But when her physician father accepts a position at a Minnesota mental institution, Winona is forced to make some unwelcome changes. ("It's not the schoolwork I'm worried about... It's figuring out the pecking order and my place in it," she confides to readers.) The worst part about moving to the small town of Bridgewater is that her family has to live on the premises of the hospital. Gaining the reputation of a "resident" of the "the colony" makes Winona feel "worlds apart" from her new classmates. Snubbed by the other children and worried about her mother, who has fallen into a state of depression, the 13-year-old finds herself drawn to other outcasts: patients at the hospital and a Native American boy who lives nearby. While Johnson (Soul Moon Soup ) sends a pointed message about the thoughtless, sometimes cruel treatment of people who are different, she also delves into other social issues of the 1960s that are still relevant today: the legalization of abortion and common misconceptions about physically and mentally disabled patients. If her approach to controversies is a little heavy-handed, the author offers much food for thought as well as a sympathetic heroine, who learns how to look beyond appearances. Ages 10-up. (Nov.)