Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Okay, maybe not really.  It would be more accurate to say that it’s the last Natalie Kinsey-Warnock book in the system that’s not a picture book; it’s also the longest I’ve read by her, and the least setting-driven. Which is not to say that True Colors wasn’t quite enjoyable, you understand.  It’s just that in her other books (at least the ones I’ve read!), the setting drives the plot in a lot of ways, while True Colors feels like it could have taken place in any rural community (okay, any rural community that also has touristy summer visitors).  The emphasis here is on identity and relationships.

Blue was a 2-day-old baby when Hannah Spooner found her in her yard; the two have been together ever since.  This summer, however, things feel different.  Blue wants desperately to know who her real mother is, and her quest for information involves her in her community in a new way, while her best friend, one of the summer people, is acting like a completely different person this year.

Blah, blah, blah.  I am struggling to write a summary of this book that pleases me, so here it is in a nutshell:  I liked it.  I liked Blue, I liked Hannah, I liked the people in their community, and I liked the family story that turns out to be Blue’s.  Nadine, the summer friend, made me cringe, but I have to admit that I can see how her life situation is affecting her behavior.  (I would not have been at all understanding if I’d read this in elementary or junior high, mind you.  I just would have hated her.) Bottom line? True Colors is engaging, it moves along, and it’s got depth–or in other words, it’s worth the read.