Watch the Sky

Gr 4–6—Jory's family has secrets. Not exciting we're-wizards-or-superheroes secrets, but ominous something-bad-is-coming secrets. "Signs are everywhere," says his stepfather Caleb. But signs of what? Twelve-year-old Jory and his younger siblings aren't given an explanation. Caleb's paranoia isolates the family through grueling preparations for a catastrophic event just as a new friend and a caring teacher open up Jory's world. He learns to think for himself and begins to question the well-intentioned secrets that have dominated his family's life. Caleb's tightening grip is on a collision course with Jory's expanding views and reaches a crisis in an emotionally charged standoff at the novel's climax. Which man, Jory or Caleb, knows what is best for the family? Strong characters drive the carefully crafted novel and readers feel and understand their conflicts. Caleb is no villain but a sympathetic, tragic figure, misguided but sincere in the desire to keep his family safe. It's clear why Jory's mother, loving but fragile, married him. Sister Kit, an enigma to everyone but her brother, embodies the novel's otherworldly feel. Readers can't help but root for Jory as he warily lets his guard down, discovering the simple joys of friendship and that the outside world isn't something to be feared. Hubbard's sparse, elegant prose captures the rural landscape's desolate beauty as well as its dangers and palpably expresses the family's escalating tensions.