Itch is living a normal life with her grandparents when her grandfather suddenly dies and her grandmother decides to move to Ohio. At first, Itch hates the idea, but eventually she gets used to Ohio and makes friends with a girl named Gwendolyn who is a baton twirler with a mother who is overly serious about winning. Eventually, she notices that Gwendolyn has a number of welts and bruises, and she and her new sort-of friend Billy think that her mom beats her. Their suspicions are confirmed when Itch sees Gwendolyn’s mother beat her while she is hiding. When Gwendolyn runs away, Itch and her grandmother go get her and bring her to their trailer to spend the night. Itch’s grandmother notices Gwendolyn’s bruises and they go to her house. Gwendolyn’s mother denies everything, but Itch tells them what she saw. Gwendolyn’s father is shocked and asks Gwendolyn’s mother to leave. With just the two of them in the house, Gwendolyn’s father makes it his mission to give Gwendolyn a normal childhood without the baton twirling.
I thought this was a great book with a powerful message: it is not okay to abuse children. I also admired Itch’s courage, because she stands up for Gwendolyn. I think it was noble of Gwendolyn’s father to try to give her a normal life and I liked when her mother realized that she needed to change and sought help. Overall, this is a very well-written novel that I enjoyed. On the Teen Reading Scale, I would give this book a score of “rockin.’” I would recommend it to readers who enjoy historical fiction.
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