Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature)
Who can blame 14-year-old Matt (short for Matilda) for seeking refuge in silence and sarcasm. The girl has been bumped from one foster-care situation to another before being dumped on distant relatives Sam and Jessica Fox. To make matters worse, the Foxes are Quakers with a young, disabled son (whom Matt secretly calls The Blob) and her new school harbors a teenaged bully and a Civics teacher intolerant of any but an avid pro-war stance on the country’s war in the Middle East. Author Kathryn Erskine deftly weaves together the strands of Matt’s journey into self discovery with the larger issue of communities divided on the current war. Gradually, Matt begins to overcome the fears that leave her quaking and to learn from the Foxes’ example of quiet strength as they advocate for peace. At a crucial moment, she draws upon her own “strong spirit” to speak out against the bully and protect Sam. A timely novel, sure to resonate with teens. 2007, Philomel/Penguin, $16.99. Ages 11 up.

Heidi Hauser Green (Children's Literature)
It seems that fourteen-year-old Matt has reached the end of the road. Loopy, her most recent guardian, is off to do some missionary work and is passing Matt along to the only relatives who haven’t yet had the girl, Sam and Jessica Fox. From the start, Matt isn’t too sure about her new “parents.” They’re Quakers, and Matt is definitely not a religious girl. They’re caring for a disabled foster child who Matt can only think of as the Blob. They’re not afraid to show what they feel, even when their feelings could get them into trouble. Matt, meanwhile, has worked hard to become as invisible as possible. Still, here she is: plunked down in the Fox household, trying just to get by, trying not to get hurt, trying not to be noticed. Slowly, very slowly, Matt begins to feel safe in her new home. Carefully, she begins to form attachments to her new family. Fearfully, she begins to recognize a growing danger, as the Foxes stick to their peaceful principles and continue to hold their peace vigils, even as many members of the community around them become aggressive in their support of the war in the Middle East. Tension escalates until the day when Matt realizes she could lose everything--whether or not she stands up for what she believes. Kathryn Erskine’s Matt is a fragile character with a solid core of strength, and this novel beautifully explores her life-saving, life-changing growth. 2007, Philomel/Penguin, $16.99. Ages 12 to 16.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 13))
Matt (short for Matilda and not Mattie, thank you) is a teenager whose experiences in the foster system have made her ruefully cynical and bitter. When she comes to live with Sam and Jessica, Matt is puzzled by their commitment to peaceùboth in their personal lives and in their advocacy against the war in the Middle East. Intrigued, she begins to accompany them to First Day Meetings and learns about the Quaker religion. Matt finds unexpected peace in the silence of Meeting, and begins to practice peace by standing up to a comically belligerent, fiercely pro-war social-studies teacher and a run-of-the-mill school-bus bully, both of whom have their own issues. While the message sometimes seems right on the surface, the setting is unusual and the characters play their roles in ways that readers will understand. As one of the first, if not the first anti-war novel for this generation, Erskine's story will surely open some minds to the idea that peace is nothing to be ashamed of. A good discussion starter on several levels. 2007, Philomel, 256p, $16.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 11 to 14. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janis Flint-Ferguson (KLIATT Review, July 2007 (Vol. 41, No. 4))
Matilda has survived a traumatic childhood. She witnessed the death of her mother at the hands of an abusive father and since has been moved from relative to relative. She is paralyzed by violence and suspicious of people. Matt, as she prefers to be called, is emotionally distant and as she is being sent to live with the second cousin of her third cousin, she knows that there is little place else for her to go. But Sam and Jessica are Quakers who take in another foster child who is developmentally delayed. Matt senses that this is not going to work out, but does what she can to do what is expected at home and at school. However, her high school social studies teacher is on a one-man crusade to make students aware of the necessity for the war in the Middle East. Given her trauma, Matt relates more to the victims, the women and children caught in the crossfire of war. Going with Sam to Quaker Meetings, she hears the call for peace and knows about his refusal to enter into combat. Things reach a climax when local churches are vandalized for their anti-war views, and Matt is targeted by the teacher and a student who uses the teacher’s opinion to his own advantage. In the end, Matt finds the courage to speak out for herself and for her foster family. The novel gives a balanced look at the ramifications of violent actions, both on a personal and a national level. Students will find much to talk about in terms of how cultures can promote tolerance and strive for peace. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2007, Penguin, Philomel, 256p., $16.99. Ages 12 to 18.

Lisa Maderic (Kutztown Book Review, Spring 2008)
Matilda, only known as Matt, is a 14 year old girl who doesn’t need anything from anyone. She dresses in black and keeps to herself, for that is the only person she can trust. Everything changes when she moves in with a Quaker family in Pennsylvania. All they want is peace and all Matt wants is to move to Canada. But when churches keep getting attacked and her peace loving family becomes a target for promoting peace, Matt will have to sort through her emotions to help decide what she wants to feel and how to act for herself and people she loves. This book got me interested from the first chapter. The characters are very believable and you can really feel for Matt in the emotions she shows and feels. This book is a must have and must read for every person who knows how it feels to be an outsider in any capacity. It is listed on the 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, so go out and buy it! Category: Fiction. 2007, Philomel Books, $16.99. Ages 12 to 16.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, July 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 11))
It’s been a rough childhood for Matt, scarred by life with a savagely abusive father and with a succession of distant relatives after her mother’s death. Now she’s taken in by Sam and Jessica, a young Quaker couple already foster parents to a developmentally delayed young boy, Rory. Against her will, the fourteen-year-old finds herself increasingly comfortable in her new household, but that attachment comes at a price when Sam and his fellow Quakers’ opposition to the Iraq war puts Matt’s new family at risk from violent war supporters. The characters are often overwritten as heroes or villains, and the story is somewhat formulaic, including the histrionic climax that unfortunately overshadows the subtler points; the exploration of anti-war beliefs and, more often, Quaker principles turns into heavy-handed proselytizing. Smart-alec toughie Matt is a lively figure, though, and her inner demons make her a sympathetic character. The book also thoughtfully champions the right to dissent (kids will especially understand the stacked deck and price of disagreement in the opinion-crushing World Civ class), making it particularly appealing to young challengers of the status quo; they and other readers will be relieved to see that Matt finally wins a safe home as well as the courage to voice her opinions. Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Philomel, 236p., $16.99. Grades 7-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
Passed from one relative to another, Matt suppresses her feelings. When she meets her latest caretakers, a Quaker couple with a severely disabled foster son, she barely speaks. At school both a bully and a war-mongering civics teacher target her. By book's end, Matt has completed her transformation from silent victim to empowered hero, in a moving and satisfying conclusion. Category: Older Fiction. 2007, Philomel, 236pp, 16.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

C. J. Bott (VOYA, June 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 2))
After Matt's (Matilda) father abuses her mother to death, Matt starts her stays with the round of relatives. As the book opens, third-cousin Loopy is driving Matt to a second cousin of hers before hitting the road for Jesus. At fourteen, Matt has learned some survival skills-don't feel, don't get close, don't hope, and as much as possible, don't talk. Sam and Jessica already foster one child, Rory, and Matt plans to use all her skills to survive until she is old enough to run away to Canada. Conflict ensues among the vicious school bully, Rat, and his gang of extreme war supporters; Quaker pacifists Sam and Jessica; their Quaker friends; and Sam's weekly peace vigil, underscoring the many different definitions of what it means to be an American. Focusing on Matt and her crippling past that is slowly revealed through vivid flashbacks keeps the reader centered on Matt's coming-of-age/survival story. This focus saves the book from being preachy, although there is enough for spirited discussions about the current era and war. Sam, Matt's foster almost-father, is a character who endears himself to nearly everyone. The book's structure is more complicated that it first appears, but the complex levels of life and broken humans woven together in this small town show the author's expertise in structuring a good story. In the end, the narrator chooses to abandon her restricting and no-longer-needed survival skills to become the hero of her own life. VOYA CODES: 5Q 4P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Philomel, 256p., $16.99. Ages 11 to 18.