Book Review - Promises

Hattie is a curious, level-headed twelve-year-old who wants enough courage to follow through with the promises she makes. This reminds me of the time I taught a group of young women Hattie’s age. I had two sons the same age or a bit older than these girls and the topic came up of what girls my sons were interested in. No spoken promises had been made that prevented me from telling the answer, but it was a matter of keeping confidences. Like Hattie, some promises stay inside you but you know you need to keep them anyway. I told the girls, “Do you think I would be able to keep your secrets if you knew I was telling theirs?” Keeping promises and confidences are a way of building trust.
From the back cover: Promises is a heart warming story of friendship with a touch of mystery and adventure set in the days before Bryce Canyon became a national park. Drawn from the memoirs of Hattie Adair Jolley and her children, it is a realistic glimpse into the past and a delightful story for readers ages eight to eighty.

   What I thought: It took me a short shifting of gears to get into the middle grade language and style, but I found myself enjoying this delightful story. Author Carolyn Frank includes the necessary elements key to a girl of twelve: fitting in with friends, the first flutterings of a crush, internal secret hopes, and more. She includes the flavor of the times and setting in a story that comes full circle as we see Hattie grow into a young woman. There’s also a lesson or two that can be learned. I believe the book is most appropriate for girls 10-14. Eight is a little too young unless they read above their grade level or the story is read to them.

   You can enter to win a full-sized puppet stage and puppets, value of $290 by participating in Carolyn’s blog tour giveaway. Check out her website or blog for more details. http://franklycreative.blogspot.com/2012/03/promises-giveaway-contest.html. In conjunction with Frank’s book tour, check out Cindy Hogan’s new release, Protected, at http://cindymhogan.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour-for-protected.html.