Hold Fast by Blue Balliett

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett
Which readers? Strong third grade readers and up

The Pearl family doesn't have much in terms of material possessions, but they are incredibly wealthy in terms of love and devotion to each other. So when Dash Pearl, father and sole wage earner, disappears under mysterious circumstances, the family is left brokenhearted, totally baffled, and destitute. When they go to the police for help, they realize that not only are they unsympathetic, but that they suspect that Dash is a thief who may have had a hand in his own disappearance. With no means of income, no savings, AND a gang of criminals searching for them, the three members of the Pearl family end up having to navigate the new and quite scary world of homeless shelters and the bureaucracy of trying to work their way into the legal system to make someone listen to their story. Where IS Early's father? And how can they get anyone to help? Who can they trust?

The story is mostly told from fifth grader Early Pearl's point of view, and it fits in with the current trend of children having to deal with adult problems when their parents are not at their best. The Pearl family also fills their hours with reading and poetry, and the poems of Langston Hughes play almost a central character in the book as Early uses Hughes's words and her father's interpretations of them to keep herself grounded and focused as she reminds herself that he would want her to "Hold Fast" until they get through this crisis. The author also calls attention to the huge homeless population in our country and the obstacles they face. I thoroughly enjoyed how these characters might not have had material wealth, but they had dreams, determination, and used literature to both learn and create a support system for themselves.

Do I think kids will like it? I think they will be caught up in the mystery, and I think they will fall in love with this family. I couldn't put it down.

I wrote an issues paper in grad school in my public libraries class titled "Crime in Libraries," so from a purely personal point of view, I found that aspect of the story really interesting and unique! You don't come across library crime very often in children's lit!

Blue Balliett's website - I linked this to her bio page because as a working mom with two young children, I love the picture of her writing next to the huge laundry pile. "Here I am working on Chasing Vermeer; we stopped folding laundry a long time ago." As I type this, my husband is folding laundry and getting the kitchen/meals ready for the week - our new life now that mom is back to work outside the home! She also has a list of "big, controversial ideas" that she loves to explore in her writing and "hand over" to kids. I find that some of the best discussions in the classroom come about when these ideas are brought out in a literature discussion....and the kids realize that the teacher DOES NOT have the answer....and is willing to explore the topic WITH them, instead of telling them what to think. Love that.