Tomorrow, the River

With a long list of her mother's dos and don'ts swirling in her head, and with a ticket that will get her only halfway home at the end of summer, fourteen-year-old Megan Barnett boards the eastbound train.Her destination, the Mississippi River at Burlington, Iowa, is twenty-four hours and a host of unfamiliar seatmates away.The most pleasant of these characters is Horace, an engineering student whose passion for newspapers, combined with a sharp curve of the tracks, land him nearly in Megan's lap. The parade of interesting strangers-some of whom aren't what they seem- doesn't end with Megan's arrival in Burlington, where she joins her sister's family on the riverboat, the Oh My.River travel, as Megan quickly learns, is fraught with danger, both on the water and off.A keen eye, for seeing beneath the surface of things, can make all the difference. Leaving a trail of discarded rules and newspaper headlines in her wake, Megan takes on the river and reaps its rewards.

About the Author :
Dianne E. Gray's first novel for young people, Holding Up the Earth, won a Willa Literary Award and was selected for the American Library Association's list of Best Books for Young Adults 2001. She grew up on the Nebraska prairie and now divides her time between Minnesota and Nevada.

Review :
Gray returns to the story of Hannah and Isaac (Together Apart, 2002) several years later. Now married, they and their young son winter in New Orleans and spend the summer traveling the Mississippi on their small paddleboat, the "Oh My." Hannah's 14-year-old sister, Megan, travels by train from Nebraska to be their helper for the summer. The train trip alone offers adventure, in the form of a slick smooth-talker, a criminal on the lam and a young university student for whom Megan feels an instant attraction. All that is nothing compared to living on the river. Isaac's badly injured leg forces Megan to plunge right in, learning to chop wood for the boiler, pilot the boat, and even to swim. As she meeting each challenge, she discovers herself--the one thing she knows she's good at, "seeing," proves to be a powerful gift. At times, the coincidences strain credulity, but the tight plot, rich language and lively characters more than compensate for any flaws. Kirkus Reviews, Starred The characters are beautifully drawn; the warm relationship between the sisters is especially well handled. But best of all is Megan's coming of age Booklist, ALA It's rewarding to follow Megan's transformation from a girl unsure of her strengths and future to a confident young woman who doesn't just drift helplessly in the current but actively takes the helm. Horn Book