Scattergood - by H M Bouwman (Paperback)

About the Book

"In 1941 rural Iowa, thirteen-year-old Peggy's quiet life is turned upside down by refugee arrivals, first love, and a heartbreaking diagnosis"--

Book Synopsis

In rural Iowa in 1941, twelve-year-old Peggy's quiet life is turned upside down by refugee arrivals, first love, and a heartbreaking diagnosis.

Growing up a farm girl, Peggy's life has never been particularly exciting. But a lot changes in 1941. Her friend Joe starts acting strange around her. The Quaker hostel nearby reopens to house Jewish refugees from Europe, including a handsome boy named Gunther and a troubled professor of nothing. And her cousin and best friend, Delia, is diagnosed with leukemia--and doesn't even know it.

Peggy has always been rational. She may not be able to understand poetry and speak in metaphors like Delia, but she has to believe she can find a way out of this mess, for both of them. There has to be a cure. And yet the more she tries to control, the more powerless she feels. She can't make Gunther see her the way she sees him. She can't help the Professor find his missing daughter. She's tired of feeling young and naive, but growing up is proving even worse.

A historical coming-of-age novel that feels as alive and present as today, Scattergood offers even readers familiar with World War II a fascinating new glimpse of history, far from the battlefields of Europe and the shores of New York City. H.M. Bouwman presents a raw and unapologetic snapshot of a girl battling her own shortcomings and the random nature of life.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Shortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award

Review Quotes

Scattergood is a brave, beautiful book, wise enough to reach for something beyond certainty.
--The New York Times

In H.M. Bouwman's novel for young readers, a girl's talent for math and chess leads her into unusual friendship.
--The Wall Street Journal

Bouwman paints a rich, detailed landscape, from mundane farm chores to deeply layered explorations of characters and relationships. . .An engaging, textured, and deeply humane coming-of-age novel.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Bouwman takes a seemingly mundane setting and crafts a heartfelt bildungsroman that even adult readers will enjoy. . . This is a timeless coming-of-age novel that breathes new life into the middle-grade WWII genre.
--Booklist (starred review)

A steady narrative pace and a variety of secondary characters who inspire questions in Peggy solidify the book's overall appeal.
--Publishers Weekly

Bouwman's writing is crisp and specific, painting a convincing picture of rural life of the period, and she stays firmly in the consciousness of her spirited, questing, analytical, mathematically inclined heroine.
--The Horn Book

A powerful coming-of-age story about life, loss, and community.
--School Library Journal

This novel is so rich in texture and beautiful writing it's almost impossible to capture Bouwman's depiction of Peggy's complex emotions.
--St. Paul Pioneer Press

About the Author

H.M. Bouwman is an author of middle grade fantasy and historical fantasy, including A Crack in the Ocean, A Tear in the Sea, and Gossamer Summer. She teaches creative writing at the University of St. Thomas and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her family.