Book Review: Equinox

Genre: 
Realistic Fiction


Interest Level:
Ages 12 and up

Reading Level:
Grades 5 and up

Book Theme:
Moving, island life, family separation


Books with Similar Themes: 
Home Is Where the Heart Is by Anne Mazer

Most Quoted Passage from Book:
"There are some things you don't have to think about, things that are simple and solid. Leaving this island is one of those. I can't leave the island. If I do, I will no longer be me."



Bibliographic Information: 
Killingsworth, M. (2001). Equinox. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
      
Plot:  
Fourteen-year-old Autumn lives on an island off the coast of Washington state with her family. Autumn loves the island and can't imagine living anywhere else,but when her father Harley announces one day that they should move away Autumn's world is turned upside down. The idea of leaving the island is just too heartbreaking for Autumn. She can tell her mother would be happier away from the island, she spends so much time away from it anyway, but she knows Harley loves the island and is reluctant to leave. He says he wants Autumn to go to a better school, but Autumn knows his heart is breaking too. Her friend Forrest buys her a journal and she writes about her sadness as they get closer to the move. Autumn finds some comfort in Forrest and Jane, two of her adult friend, which make things a little easier. But then she discovers a chilling family secret, the very reason they are leaving the island, and her life will never be the same.

Review:  
Equinox tells a story that many tweens will have to face in their tween years, which is moving away from the place they love best. The story is told from the first person and does a great job reflecting Autumn's despair, anger, and eventual acceptance of her inevitable move away from her home. It also tells the story of a family with a secret, a secret many tweens could accidentally discover in their own family. In many ways this is a coming of age story in which Autumn starts to learn the truth about many things and must learn how to accept the truth, something we also must do as we learn and grown. Nature-loving and ocean-loving tweens will enjoy this story, in which Killingworth describes the island so beautifully. This is great read for any tween who is going through or has been through tough family times, or a heartbreaking move away from a beloved home.