When Pigs Fly

The taunts from which she shields her younger sister, who has Down's syndrome, are not the only adversity facing Buddy Richter during her eighth-grade year. After Mr. Richter loses his job, money gets so tight that the family is forced to leave their modern subdivision for the dilapidated farm they have inherited from an eccentric aunt. In the shabby, snake-infested house, Buddy thinks that nobody's life could be worse than her own. Then she learns the dark secrets of her two close friends: Jiniwin, who is on her way to becoming an alcoholic; and Dallas, a raggedy boy abandoned by his father. This contemporary problem novel treats family conflicts and social concerns with the same sensitivity of Wood's previous titles, The Man Who Loved Clowns and A Share of Freedom. Buddy's emotions and her thoughts about her sister and her friends are realistic and moving. All problems are not resolved by the end of this tender story, yet the protagonist's changed attitude suggests that she has adjusted to her own situation and is ready to help others, too. Ages 10-14. (Sept.)