cover image Runaround

Runaround

Helen Hemphill. Front Street, $16.95 (117pp) ISBN 978-1-932425-83-3

In Hemphill's (Long Gone Daddy) often humorous coming-of-age novel, 11-year-old Sassy Thompkins cannot forgive her older sister Lulu for ruining her first kiss. In seeking revenge, Sassy's plan is to get Boon Hoyt Chisholm ""to fall head over heels"" for her. That way, Sassy could flaunt ""the cutest boyfriend in the world right under her sister's nose."" However, Boon is off limits to the Thompkins girls. He's illegitimate, poor and his mama has been married several times. Aptly named Sassy has a quick temper that consistently gets her into trouble. In fact, her unpleasant disposition causes Sassy to miss some very important clues regarding Boon's true affections. When she discovers Boon and Lulu together, red-handed, Sassy is inconsolable, while her father hits the roof. In the heat of the moment, Mr. Thompkins reveals a dark secret he's kept from the girls regarding their mother. Hemphill credibly portrays Sassy's frustration at being 11, her desire to grow up, and her feelings of betrayal towards Lulu. But the sisters' reconciliation at the book's conclusion seems sudden, and the revelation about their mother superfluous. Each chapter opens with a quote from the romance magazine, Love Confessions, that Sassy uses as her guide. The setting is rural Kentucky during the 1960s, which lends the story a sense of innocence. Ages 12-up.