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Hope
Yancy is a 16-year-old waitress who lives with her Aunt Addie, a
well-known diner cook. Hope was born too early and too small, and
her mother, Deena, didn’t want the responsibility, so she gave her
to her sister Addie. There is no father in the picture, much to Hope’s
distress, and Deena appears only once again in the story.
Hope
says that her mother left her with two things. One she kept was her
gift of waitressing. The other she threw away: her birth name,
Tulip.
Hope
and Addie live an interesting life working in diners across the
country. With each move, Hope leaves her mark, "HOPE WAS
HERE," in ballpoint ink somewhere on the premises.
As
the story opens, Hope and Addie have been working in the Blue Box
Diner in Brooklyn, N.Y. Addie was chief cook and part-owner of the
diner with her partner, a man named Gleason. One evening he decided
to clean out the cash register and the bank account and head for
parts unknown with the night waitress, Charlene. Addie tried to hang
on for a few months but had to close down before the bill collectors
took it. That is the reason Hope and Addie are headed for Mulhoney,
Wis., and the Welcome Stairways Diner.
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this review]
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G.
T. Stoop, the Quaker owner of the diner, has leukemia and needs
Addie’s help to keep the diner running. Things get even more
complicated when G.T. decides to run for mayor of Mulhoney against a
corrupt incumbent, Eli Millstone. As the story progresses we are
introduced to a myriad of colorful characters, from the diner
employees to the residents of the town.
G.T.’s
campaign is beset with problems from the start. There is a lot of
crooked politics going on in Mulhoney, and Eli Millstone is right in
the middle of it. Hope and Braverman, a young man that cooks at the
diner, throw themselves into the campaign and each other’s lives.
The
political theme of the story has a very contemporary plot twist that
will entertain and interest anyone who followed our nation’s
presidential race. The mix of dealing with G.T’s illness,
small-town politics, and a budding romance for Hope and Addie, along
with strong messages about values and self-esteem, makes for a very
enjoyable and inspiring story.
Joan
Bauer has written several highly acclaimed novels for young adults,
including "Thwonk," "A Taste of Smoke," "On
My Honor," "Backwater" and "Rules of the
Road." This book is recommended for grade eight and up.
For
more information, visit the library at 725 Pekin St. or call (217)
732-8878.
[Linda
Harmon,
Lincoln Public Library District]
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