Thundersnow

Sheila
Odom Hollinghead
Genre: 
Young Adult

Fourteen year old Jay knew she was  poor by most people’s standards. But did it have to make Momma so mean to her all the time? Papa said it was his fault she was like that. How could that be? Papa was the kindest and most loving man that she ever knew and worked so hard on the farm to keep everyone fed. Sometimes Poppa would tell her and her little brother an old story about Thundersnow. Poppa could make it sound so glorious and scary at the same time. One day the most wonderful thing happened. It started as thunder in the sky and then it began to snow, just like Poppa’s beautiful stories!  

Everything changed, however, when Poppa got very sick and had to go to the hospital and didn’t come back. What would happen to their family now?

Hollinghead weaves a beautiful story that takes the reader right into the heart of young Jay. One  cannot help but ache for her when she is belittled by her mother. The author also describes the country in rich detail, especially the beauty and tranquility of Cedar Springs.  Ms. Hollinghead makes the story so believable; the reader seems to know Jay personally. With the characters so beautifully written, it leaves the reader yearning to follow along as this young woman grows and matures in the years to come!

Rose Mary Espinoza