Jericho

Angela, her brother and her parents are spending their vacation helping Grandma Katy take care of her invalid mother, great-grandmother Arminda. Saddened by GrandMin's physical and mental decline, lonely for her best friend and feeling claustrophobic in Grandma and GrandMin's small town, Angela settles gradually into the dull routine of daily chores. The tedium is periodically broken by run-ins with a handsome, smooth-talking neighbor boy but, much to her dismay, Angela always seems to make a fool of herself in front of him. Interspersed with Angela's bemoanings are flashbacks to Arminda in her youth, keeping house for her widowed father. Deftly paralleling the lives of the youngest and oldest members of an extended family, Hickman (The Thunder-Pup; Zoar Blue) expresses the ties between generations. Readers will find themselves caring deeply about these characters and the day-to-day ups and downs that define the rhythm and meaning of their lives. The author's unsentimental narrative reveals a sharp eye for detail, a profound understanding of the aging process and a deep love for humanity. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)