Valerie O. Patterson (Children's Literature)
Set between August 1949 and June 1950, Karen Cushman's latest historical novel depicts post-World War II California as the US confronts the Communist scare. Francine Green and her friend Sophie Bowman dream of movie star Montgomery Clift and attend eighth grade at All Saints School. New to Catholic school, Sophie challenges the nuns on many issues, from why they should pray to God to win a basketball game to comparing the school to fascism. Sophie's father, a screenwriter, worries about his livelihood as the FBI questions the loyalty of actors and others in Hollywood, calling many of them communists or communist sympathizers. When Francine asks her father about what's happening, her father says, "not to get involved." At home Francine watches her father build a bomb shelter in the backyard out of concern about the Soviet Union and the hydrogen bomb. Finally, when Sophie is expelled from school for her outspokenness and she and her father move away due to blacklisting, Francine finds her courage and speaks up. An author's note describes the "Red Scare" and suggests sources for learning more about life in the US in the early 1950s. This Newbery award-winning author of The Midwife's Apprentice and Catherine, Called Birdy portrays a difficult time in American history, bringing to life the unique blend of innocence and uncertainty of the Cold War's early days. 2006, Clarion Books, $16.00. Ages 10 to 14.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2007)
New student Sophie Bowman’s arrival at a Los Angeles Catholic school in the year 1949 sets in motion a time of change and political awakening for thirteen-year-old Francine. Already beginning to question the values and wisdom of her parents and teachers, Francine’s friendship with Sophie opens a gateway to new beliefs and perspectives. Sophie is a free-thinking idealist, unafraid to share her thoughts with the nuns at school, despite the inevitable punishments she receives. Sophie’s father is a Hollywood screenwriter in danger of being blacklisted, and the era’s increasing suspicion of those who were politically different is realistically portrayed. Francine’s maturation is believable and satisfying, told in the deliciously sarcastic voice of a sharp-witted teen who realizes she’s not as courageous as she’d like to be. A vivid setting in both time and place provides a rich backdrop for a memorable story of friendship and coming of age. CCBC Category: Fiction for Children. 2006, Clarion, 240 pages, $16.00. Ages 11-14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 13))
It's 1949, and 13-year-old Francine Green lives in "the land of 'Sit down, Francine' and 'Be quiet, Francine' " at All Saints School for Girls in Los Angeles. When she meets Sophie Bowman and her father, she's encouraged to think about issues in the news: the atomic bomb, peace, communism and blacklisting. This is not a story about the McCarthy era so much as one about how one girl-who has been trained to be quiet and obedient by her school, family, church and culture-learns to speak up for herself. Cushman offers a fine sense of the times with such cultural references as President Truman, Hopalong Cassidy, Montgomery Clift, Lucky Strike, "duck and cover" and the Iron Curtain. The dialogue is sharp, carrying a good part of this story of friends and foes, guilt and courage-a story that ought to send readers off to find out more about McCarthy, his witch-hunt and the First Amendment. Though not a happily-ever-after tale, it dramatizes how one person can stand up to unfairness, be it in front of Senate hearings or in the classroom. (author's note) 2006, Clarion, 240p, $16.00. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 14. Starred Review. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, July 2006 (Vol. 40, No. 4))
The past that Cushman (Newbery Medal winner for The Midwife’s Apprentice) re-creates in this work of historical fiction is much more recent than her medieval stories?--?here, two girlfriends attend Catholic school in Los Angeles in 1949. The narrator, Francine, is part of a solid family; she is conservative and “silent,” yet her best friend is her opposite: Sophie challenges everything she hears and doesn’t hesitate to speak out. Sophie lives with her father and they are friends with a screenwriter who is being investigated as a Communist, in danger of being blacklisted. Sophie organizes protests and she questions such horrors as the atom bomb?--?in fact she is an avid “Ban the Bomb” activist. When people’s right to free speech is in danger, Sophie speaks out, even when she gets in big trouble at school with the nuns, who are about as politically conservative as they could possibly be. (These are not the days of the Catholic peace activists in the 1960s.) Cushman’s exceptional skill at creating characters is evident as Francine slowly begins to at least harbor doubts about the correctness of everything she has been taught?--?still, Francine remains silent, even as Sophie’s life disintegrates under the pressure of the House on Un-American Activities Committee. In the end, Francine understands that silence means complicity. Cushman has a lengthy note at the end of the story, and includes a brief bibliography and a Q&A section in which she reveals that when she was a student at a Catholic school in the 1950s, she was cautioned to not question authority. She says she wrote this story because she is afraid today’s students do not understand how important it is to defend our First Amendment rights, especially freedom of speech. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: J*--Exceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. 2006, Houghton Mifflin, Clarion, 228p. bibliog., $16.00. Ages 12 to 15.

Tena Natale Litherland (Library Media Connection, November/December 2006)
Bullies come in all forms. In this cautionary tale set in the 1950s, Cushman displays the fear and prejudice rampant in society under Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare. While the government hauls law-abiding citizens into court accusing them of communist sympathies, Sister Basil the Great terrorizes the girls in her eighth grade classroom. Though thirteen-year-olds should have few worries, Francine Green worries about the Communists, the bomb, and, most of all, she worries about getting in trouble. Raised to think for herself, Francine's best friend Sophie questions Sister Basil and soon becomes her victim. Francine just watches. Sophie's father, a Hollywood screenwriter, sees his best friend harassed by the government for alleged Communist sympathies. Because Mr. Bowman defends Mandelbaum, he loses his job. When Sophie calls Francine to tell her they are suddenly and secretly moving away, Francine finally finds the courage to confront Sister Basil. With this thought-provoking novel, Cushman illustrates the individual responsibility and constant vigilance of all citizens to ensure free speech. Pair this with Russell Freedman's In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America's Bill of Rights (Holiday House, 2003). Useful for cross-curricular studies in literature and social studies classes, it will generate lively discussions and research possibilities. Highly Recommended. 2006, Clarion Books, 228pp., $16 hc. Ages 10 to 15.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, October 2006 (Vol. 60, No. 2))
Francine’s dream world revolves around Montgomery Clift and the movie stars down the road in nearby Hollywood, and her real world revolves around maintaining impeccable behavior and a low profile at her Catholic girls’ school. Eighth grade brings a new interest in the person of Sophie Bowman, who’s been expelled from her last school for disruptive behavior and seems hell-bent to repeat her performance at All Saints. Theirs is an unlikely but sincere friendship that opens Francine’s eyes to problems of the time (the book begins in 1949) that her parents refuse to discuss with her at home—the Cold War, the threat of attack, the spread of Communism, and the pernicious responses of Red-baiting and blacklisting. The issues are surely worth the fictional exploration, but Francine spends so much time bemoaning her lack of courage and gasping at Sophie’s audacious sass with the nuns that broader social concerns never quite achieve their intended level of importance. The portrait of the All Saints staff—sadistic Sister Basil the Great, approachable but preachy Sister “Pete” (a librarian, no less)—is a shopworn stereotype. Real historical fiction fans should turn to David Almond’s The Fire-Eaters (BCCB 5/04) for a riveting examination of Cold War fear, but school-story devotees may enjoy this as a quick pick. 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. 2006, Clarion, 225p., $16.00. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2007)
This novel is set in 1949 Los Angeles at the beginning of anti-Communist fever and atom-bomb concerns. Francine, age thirteen, does her best to fly under the radar at her repressive Catholic school. Then she befriends nonconformist Sophie and learns about "free speech and improving the world and not being so afraid of trouble." Francine is an engaging and convincing character. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2006, Clarion, 228pp, 16.00. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Florence H. Munat (VOYA, June 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 2))
Francine Green, an eighth grader living in Los Angeles in 1949, has been encouraged by her parents and the nuns at her school to be obedient, well-behaved, quiet, uninvolved, and to never, ever think for herself. But now she has a new best friend, Sophie Bowman, who was kicked out of public school for protesting the lack of free speech. Sophie is as outspoken as Francine is silent, as unafraid of getting in trouble as Francine fears it. Francine is confused and troubled by U.S. plans to develop an H-Bomb (in response to Russia's A-Bomb), McCarthyism, and the alleged threat of communism. She watches her father dig a fallout shelter in their backyard, wonders how the "drop-and-cover" strategy will protect her from powerful bombs, and learns that Sophie's screenwriter father and his actor friend (who later commits suicide) are blacklisted. And at last, she speaks her mind. These serious issues are balanced by Francine's self-deprecating sense of humor and the description of 1950s-era Los Angeles with its soda fountains, record shops, and movie stars, to produce a wonderful snapshot of the times. In an author's note, Newbery-Award-winning Cushman offers a brief political history of the 1950s, and in a short interview she emphasizes the importance of protecting our constitutional rights, especially the First Amendment. She draws on her memories of attending a Catholic school in Los Angeles in the 1950s to write this most contemporary of her books so far. It is a gem. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, Clarion, 240p., $16. Ages 11 to 15.