Gisela Jernigan, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
It is 1918, and World War I is coming to an end. Recently orphaned, 14-year-old Bonnie arrives at the Seattle home of her elderly, but lively, feminist cousin Audra and other strong-minded female relations, including 12-year-old Clare who seems unreasonably unfriendly. Financial need results in cousin Audra taking in male boarders, including Mr. Younger, a young man blinded in the war. Bonnie's attempts to understand Clare and Mr. Younger, to help around the house, and to fit into this unusual but stimulating household are related in a lively, believable way. Conditions of the times, such as the low status of women and the devastation of the Spanish influenza, are skillfully woven into this coming-of-age novel. 1996, Houghton, $15.95. Ages 12 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1996)
An orphan's life takes a sharp turn for the better when she becomes a member of her freethinking cousin's household. Newly orphaned Bonnie, 14, doesn't know what to expect of her relatives, but cousins Audra and Winnie, and Audra's grown daughter Sally, make her "more welcome than good luck and Christmas both." Having fallen on hard times, the women have recently begun taking in boarders, struggling to keep their guests comfortable and fed. As in Thesman's Molly Donnelly (1993), the daily bustle and dinner table conversations of an extended family tie several plot threads together: the 1918 influenza epidemic; the return of Sally's bullying husband; the rehabilitation of a young, blind war veteran. On a lighter note, there is an unending parade of unpleasant cooks and minor domestic crises, and although Bonnie admires her relatives to pieces, the irony of women who pass out suffragist and birth control literature but can't cook their own meals is not lost on her. For her large cast Thesman relies on suggestion and nuance to develop her characters, but sensitive readers will be surprised at how familiar many of the people seem by the bittersweet but satisfying conclusion. A rich, multilayered novel anchored by a loving, unconventional family. Must the story end here? 1996, Houghton Mifflin, $15.95. Starred Review. © 1996 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 1996 (Vol. 49, No. 7))
Orphaned at age fourteen, Bonnie Shaster moves to Seattle to join the household of her maternal relatives. Cousin Audra, her daughter Sally, and sister-in-law Winnie are models of early-twentieth-century progressive women-well-educated, liberal, and warm-hearted to boot-but their generosity and lack of domestic management skills have brought on hard times and forced them to take in boarders. At Bonnie's arrival they have just begun to realize that espousing women's social and political self-reliance doesn't make then handy in the kitchen. Somewhat predictable household dramas and comedies play out against larger historic events such as World War I demobilization and the general strike of 1919. Lovers of orphan-finds-a-home tales will excuse the occasional cliché ("The train rattled west into the flaming sunset. . . . Never go back, never go back, the train wheels said") and warm to Bonnie's new family and to her budding romance with a blind young veteran. R--Recommended. Reviewed from galleys (c) Copyright 1996, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 1996, Houghton, [240p], $15.95. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1996)
In Seattle in 1918, orphaned Bonnie moves in with her cousins, who operate a boarding house and are in the forefront of feminist activities, campaigning for suffragist causes and advocating family planning. The diverse inhabitants of the household become integral parts of Bonnie's life and allow her opportunity to mature. The underlying issues are substantial, but the presentation is laced with humor, warmth, and historical references that evoke the period. Category: Fiction. 1996, Houghton, 232pp.. Ages 14 to 18. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.