A Clear Spring by Barbara Wilson (2)

A Clear Spring

Barbara Wilson (2)

Strong and open, fierce and funny GIRLS FIRST! is the bold and spirited new series for middle-grade readers that seeks to capture the independent spirit of girls and young women from all over the world. By publishing international novels, the series celebrates both the differences and commmonalities in the experiences of girls. By featuring strong female protagonists, GIRLS FIRST! Provides positive role models within exciting stories full of mystery and adventure.From the heat of Chicago, Willa C. Lopez is heading to green, lush Seattle to spend the summer with her aunt Ceci, her aunt’s partner Janie and multicultural, extended family. While there, precocious Willa and her curious cousin Tabby discover someone or something is polluting a local watershed. What follows is a take of new friendships, new discoveries and more adventure than they bargained for. This funny and captivating mystery is the first for young readers by award-winning and acclaimed mystery writer Barbara Wilson (Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists, Trouble in Transylvania).

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From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Wilson is best known for her adult mysteries starring lesbian sleuths and for her searing memoir, Blue Windows (1997). Her first offering for young readers combines a detective story with a girl’s pivotal summer. Eleven-year-old Willa is nervous about leaving her mother and Chicago behind for a summer in Seattle with her aunts, Carmen and Ceci. But she adapts quickly to her new environment, especially after she follows Janie, Aunt Ceci’s lesbian partner, to work at a nature center. Aunt Carmen’s kids embrace Willa, and through their joint detective work, they nab the polluter of a salmon creek. The overtly didactic text is likely to bog down a few readers, and the characters often seem to speak in the same voice–earnest, intelligent, and liberal. But Wilson convincingly portrays Willa’s excitement as she develops a passionate interest in nature, and the ‘eco-sleuthing’ will attract mystery fans. Children looking for books showing nontraditional families will find a range of families here, including gay couples, interracial marriages, and single parents. Gillian Engberg

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

While visiting relatives in Seattle, twelve-year-old Willa explores the ethnic diversity of her family and investigates the pollution of a salmon stream.

(Girls First!)

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Details

ISBN	9781558612778
Genre	YA Fiction (Young Adult)
Copyright Date	2002
Publication Date	01-Jan-02
Publisher	Feminist Press at CUNY
Format	Library Binding
No. of Pages	112
Language	English
Rating	NotRated
BookID	2149