Mostly the Honest Truth

At the opening of Little's first novel, 11-year-old Jane Pengilly is on her way to her fourth foster home, her burned hand hurts, and her alcoholic father is in rehab yet again--and she misses him deeply. Officer D, a police officer and her short-term foster mother, takes her to "boonieville," also known as Three Boulders, an isolated Oregon town with strict rules (and no television) where "Redemption. Forgiveness. Community" is the motto. It's a remote area, very different from Jane's usual suburban placements, but what's most upsetting is that Jane doesn't know why she's there, aside from waiting out her father's latest rehab stint, and the adults hold their secrets close. She remembers her father "holding my arm and mumbling mishmash words" on the kitchen floor, then a hospital stay. While Jane makes new friends, she counts down the days until she can go home, craving a return to normalcy. The plot feels a bit thin in places, but Jane's tough-minded attitude and convincingly portrayed stress and separation anxiety will capture readers' attention as she gradually heals and uncovers the truth about her family. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)