Gorgeous book cover. 11 year old orphan in Vermont in 1927. Dorothy, known as Donut, has just lost her pops. She's fond of taxidermy and poker, nehi and geography. Loves her best friend Tiny (who is very large, of course) and her godfather and taxidermy instructor Sam. Always up for a paddle in the folding boat her father left behind, and absolutely opposed to leaving her idyllic village life for school in Boston with her educated aunts.

It's a charming read, although the combination of quirky traits and friends comes across as weirdly hipster. I am not fond of taxidermy as an art form, so I assume this is personal bias on my part. She's a reasonable enough character --strong willed, stubborn and fiery. Also grieving. I appreciate the realistic depiction of what running away in this time and place might look like. Also how poorly that works out and how well she takes responsibility. ( )

Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Fair
Recommendation: Maybe (Would be great with a historical unit)
Reading Level: Middle School

Donut has grown up in rural Vermont with her father, who has just died in a car accident before the book opens. Suddenly an aunt she doesn't know is taking up space where she used to live with her father and tells her she will have to leave behind everything she knows - her friends, her home, and her way of life - to move to Boston, where her two aunts run a boarding school.

Though this novel is a slow burn, we see Donut's journey through the grief process and some character growth as she has to own up to mistakes she makes based on her knee-jerk reactions. While back stories and side notes that are included within the story and conversations between characters allude to deeper meanings within Donut's journey, I doubt many teen readers will pick up on these. Overall, this was very well written, but the plot just left me wanting more from Donut's story arc. While I wouldn't recommend this as a general read for middle schools students, it could be neat to use within a historical unit about the 1920's or to show a passion for geography! ( )