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Patty
Rating:
Review
In the summer of 1959, sisters 10-year old Sally, and 9-year old Troo O'Malley are left to their own devices. Although not yet homeless, they are penniless. Their father died two years earlier, their mother is in the hospital, and their step-father abandons them for a 6-pack and a hooker. Older sister Nell, supposedly caring for the youngsters, is rarely home, having more interest in her sex life with her boyfriend. That leaves the youngsters on their own, and on the streets. Troo figures out that within their neighborhood of large families the girls will be accepted for dinner which allows them to eat once a day. A serious complication is the fact two little girls have been found molested and murdered. Sally believes she knows who the killer is, and that she is next on his list. Her task is to reveal his identity before he is able to catch her. Whistling in the Dark is innovative, the plot clever. The reader fears for the children, while also laughing with them.
Best Line:
"But what Daddy hadn't gotten around to telling me, and what I figured out that night all by myself, was that no matter what horrible things happen...you have to go on with your life with all the stick-to-itiveness that you can muster up."
Kim
Rating:
Review
Narrator Sally is the kind of girl some of us were – innocent yet resourceful. Her younger sister Troo is bold and gutsy (like my sister), and together they are able to survive the summer from hell. The girls are pretty much left to their own devices while their mother is in the hospital for an extended stay. Sally and Troo are fortunate to live in a neighborhood where everyone looks out for everyone else, which on the bright side means the girls never go hungry, but on the bad side, loneliness and fear are frequent companions for the girls. They also are contending with a murderer running their streets, who favors young girls. This mystery lasts the entire book, which I was glad to see, along with how brave and again, resourceful, Sally and Troo were, especially in some dangerous and downright scary situations. There are a lot of good things that happen in this story too, along with all the challenges, making this book worth devouring in short order.
Best Line:
"Stubborn runs worse in the Riley family than a pair of cheap nylons."
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