Going Where It's Dark

Gr 5–8—Naylor's writing, including her "Shiloh" quartet and the "Alice" series, is lauded for its approachability and sincerity. Her latest book is no exception. A boy named Buck Anderson is mostly friendless and bullied because of his stutter. After learning about caves in school, Buck and his best friend David become obsessed. But since David moved away, Buck has been forced to explore by himself. He finds a hole that he desperately wants to explore, but he knows that it's dangerous. And Buck has other things keeping him from exploring his discovery. His uncle makes him do household chores for an angry veteran named Jacob. His mother tries to cure his stutter by taking him to a religious revival. And his twin sister is preoccupied with her new boyfriend. Buck's story begins with a general mood of hopelessness. Slowly but surely, Naylor pokes holes into the darkness, and rays of hope shine through. This is a triumphant tale, but happiness is hard-won. Those who related to or enjoyed Vince Vawter's Paperboy (Delacorte, 2013) will find this a contemporary counterpart.