- The precious regard the author holds for words and their meanings
- The diverse characters
- The portrayal of homeless families
- Sum and Early's teachers are caring, influential, and real
- Appearances can be deceiving
Blue Balliett can certainly craft a mystery. Meanings are obvious and hidden, there is good and bad within everyone, some decisions are harder than others, sometimes there are rewards for doing the right thing and sometimes there are not. Hold Fast is a beautifully written story of a family caught in a web of intrigue not of their own making. The circumstances cause three of them to be launched into the world of homelessness and all the attendant agencies, pitfalls and prejudices. The characters are beautifully portrayed growing and changing as the story moves along and the use of Langston Hughes' poetry adds richness to a setting that otherwise would be fairly bleak.
My only concern with this book is that in weaving the puzzle, some middle school readers may not hang on until the plot really begins to move. Definitely adding this to our collection.
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