The Big Smith Snatch

The Smith family is facing hard times. The children and their mother had planned to drive back East to rejoin their father, but the money they need didn't arrive on time. They are forced to camp out with the homeless; then Mrs. Smith has to go into the hospital. The four youngest children are placed with the Docketts, a foster family--and are used in the family's work as burglars. In the meantime, Boo, the eldest child, is trying to put the pieces of her family back together. The plot is delightfully complex, and the children believable individuals. And while at times the outlook may seem overwhelmingly bleak, Curry keeps her readers secure in the knowledge that Boo and others around her, flawed as they may be, will triumph. Ages 9-12. (Sept.)