When Teresa’s brother heads off to war to be a pilot, she and her family are stuck at home, feeling helpless. They turn their energy to their garden and an ongoing competition with their neighbor, Mr. Burt, to grow the best tomatoes. But when Mr. Burt is hospitalized after an accident, Teresa can’t bear to see his garden neglected. She rallies her classmates to look after the garden until he is well enough to return home. Along the way she makes some unexpected discoveries about what kind of people her friends (and enemies) really are.
Although the story is fairly slow moving, there’s enough going on to keep up interest. Strong female characters don’t hurt either. Teresa’s aunts have gone to work in order to help the war effort. The strength of women left behind is often mentioned. Moreover, Teresa herself is no pushover. She’s a go getter with a wealth of self-taught knowledge about the war and aviation. This book could be best read and enjoyed by students in grades 3-5.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – Teresa has to tuck her skirt up into her underpants to make it into makeshift pants.
Profanity – “darned,” “Dickens,” “sissy,” “what in the Sam Hill,” “danged,” “heck,” “hell,”
Death, Violence and Gore – Pearl Harbor is bombed (no details are given). Some boys from their town do not return from war. A neighbor had a tractor overturn on him and is badly hurt. A boy at school gets into fights. He also draws pictures of swastika covered tanks, guns and bullets and bayonets dripping with blood. A boy says if you wait to be drafted rather than enlist you’ll just be “cannon fodder.” There’s talk of bombings in Japan. One boy gives another a bloody nose. Another boy gets a black eye. A dog is badly hurt and is bleeding. Amelia Earhart’s disappearance is referenced. A boy says his father would kick a dog down. A local soldier is killed in the war. A soldier was injured and in danger of being killed by a grenade.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – There’s talk that Billy’s father is a drunk.
Frightening or Intense Things – The book is set during World War II. Teresa’s brother Jeff has enlisted and is overseas fighting in the war. A soldier from the town is missing in action.
