Keeping Safe the Stars (review)

Home-schooled by their aging grandfather since their mother died, siblings Pride, Nightingale, and Baby have been taught to be fiercely independent, beholden to nobody for help. Now an attack of encephalitis has suddenly sent Old Finn into long-term hospital care in Duluth, and the three siblings are at odds over how to survive on their grandfather's terms. At thirteen, Pride feels she should take command, but her propensity to tell tall tales and outright lies has drawn unwanted attention to the popcorn and pony-ride business they hope will sustain them until Old Finn comes home. Nightingale, the ethical and studious sibling, is more realistic about their need for help, but she's too reclusive to venture willingly beyond their cabin. Baby, a warm-hearted six-year-old, tries his best to comply with his older sisters, but he can't always help blurting out clues as to their true circumstances. The children try to dodge the notice of well- and ill-wishing adults, until a cache of letters from Old Finn's former flame in Duluth supplies the connection the children need to reach their grandfather and accept the support they need. Tales of children terrified of the foster care system are nothing new, and the plotting here is so carefully orchestrated that readers will easily predict the missteps the siblings will make and the characters who will eventually bail them out. Excerpts from adult love letters, the 1970s setting, and the children's repetitive musings on their grandfather's prognosis may further alienate young readers. The orphan-story crowd, though, will be pleased to follow the bumpy road to their happy ending.