By: Jamie Steinberg
Peggy is a farm girl growing up in Iowa in 1941. She’s twelve years old, a year behind most of her “friends” and they are kind enough to keep reminding her of that fact. Her world changes when European refugee Gunther and a Jewish professor move into the Quaker hostel nearby. Add the fact that Peggy’s best friend/cousin is dying of leukemia and life as Peggy knows will no longer be the same. With young-adult read Scattergood, author H.M. Bouwman does an excellent job at captivating readers with Peggy’s strife, but the ending feels a bit lackluster after investing so much in this budding young girl.
Twelve year old Peggy lives on a farm in Iowa in 1941. She is an only child and the youngest of all of her “friend group” (she doesn’t see any of them though as pals). The world around her is starting to change when her best friend slash cousin, Delia, is diagnosed with leukemia and the Quaker hostel nearby – “Scattergood” – reopens for European Jewish refugees. When a handsome teen named Gunther and a troubled professor move in life for her is forever altered. Peggy’s world starts to spiral as she becomes obsessed with finding a cure for Delia, she has her first ever crush with Gunther and finds a confidante/Chess mentor in the professor. But nothing goes as planned – Gunther doesn’t look at Peggy the same way, the professor becomes more distant the harder it becomes to find his missing daughter and no matter how much Peggy tries to understand poetry or find a way to heal Delia, the less she feels in control.
I find Peggy’s determination and curiosity endearing. She is desperate to find a way to save Delia’s life – even going so far as to keep secrets from her parents, something she has never done before. It’s even sweet watching her develop into a young woman, finding her first crush. Plus, this kid is whip smart (just not when it comes to poetry and Benjamin Franklin). The downside to this read is that Peggy discovers a family secret, but it is only briefly addressed with her father. It is something I wish had the opportunity to be explored more. I also hoped there had been a more fleshed out finale to the book between Peggy and the professor.
Scattergood starts off as the biography of a fictional young girl in Iowa back in 1941 but quickly becomes a story of the time in your life when the rosy glasses must come off. Middle grade readers will also have their eyes open, so be prepared for lots of questions to come up about the state of the world back then and maybe even puberty. For those looking to enjoy some historical fiction with a twinge of personal growth, take a seat and start this read.