Iva Honeysuckle Discovers the World

Gr 2–4—In the summer after third grade, Iva Honeycutt gives herself the new name "Honeysuckle" to go with her new identity as a "discoverer" and vows to find a Revolutionary War treasure she believes is buried in her town. She faces the obstacle of her own inexperience and the ubiquitous and unwanted presence of her cousin, Heaven. The treasure she finally finds is satisfaction in the effort and a realization that Heaven isn't so bad after all. Ransom complicates the story by dipping into her own Southern history to frame the narrative elements. First, the family: sisters, who married brothers, live next door to each other and then synchronized their childbearing so each baby would have a double-first-cousin-best-friend. In their town, Uncertain, grade-school children roam free and run errands on their own and have elderly widows for best friends, and every tertiary character has a memorable Southern name. Without any grounding in a historical period, all the talk of embroidered pillowcases and crocheted toilet-tissue covers will be lost on the intended audience, resonating mostly with middle-aged readers with a soft spot for their own bygone days. The story is well told, despite the confusion, touching on issues of self-sufficiency, pride, and forgiveness. For larger collections.—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC