Meg is not as beautiful or popular as her older sister Molly. She has always envied her sister’s golden hair, perfect complexion, and the way all the boys look at her. Meg’s the smart one, she is told, but that doesn’t do a whole lot to boost Meg’s self-confidence when she feels like she’ll never be pretty.
Meg’s father is asked to write a book. Unable to work in town, he moves his family out to a small house in the country, and Meg and Molly must share a room. This is hard on both girls – Molly wants her privacy so she can talk to boys on the phone, and Meg wants hers so she can study. Plenty of arguments crop up between the girls, but all that changes one night when Molly gets a nosebleed so bad, it soaks her pillow. Meg rushes for her parents and they take Molly to the hospital.
Molly has had nosebleeds off and on throughout the winter, but as the warm weather hit, they seemed to stop. Everyone attributed them to the cold, but never have the nosebleeds been so bad. After a time in the hospital, Molly comes home and seems to start regaining her strength, but her parents seem to be giving her preferential treatment and let her have her way.
Meanwhile, Meg has made friends with some of the people in their area. First is Will, an elderly man who likes to tinker with his truck. He actually owns the house where Meg is staying, and is sort of their landlord. He and Meg strike up a friendship, especially when he learns that Meg wants to be a photographer.
Meg also meets Ben and Maria, a young couple who have rented out Will’s other house. They are going to have a baby any day now, and have asked Meg to photograph the birth. They are an unusual couple – they balance on the edge between eccentric and alternative, but Meg likes them all the same.
One day Molly wakes up with red spots all over her legs, and goes back into the hospital. Finally Meg’s parents tell her – Molly has leukemia, and will not be returning home again.
I really enjoyed this book as it explored the relationships between sisters and friends, talked about how to develop film and even how to identify wildflowers. The story is sweet and touching, and I think your young adult daughter would enjoy it. I do put forth that the birth of the baby is a part of the plot, and while not presented in a graphic or disgusting way, it is described and so I wouldn’t recommend this to a reader who is unprepared to read about a birth. It is handled very well but for someone who’s not familiar with the facts of life, it would be too much information.
(This book was published in 1977 by Bantam Doubleday Dell.)
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