A Piece of the World

by Mildred Walker

When Calder Bailey's parents divorce and her mother needs some time to put her house in order, Calder is dismayed to learn that she's expected to leave her California neighborhood to stay with her grandmother in Weldon, a village in Vermont. When Calder discovers a mysterious rock, an enormous green and strangely shaped serpentine boulder in the deep woods above town, she is drawn into friendships with Walt, a boy whose family owns the rock and the property it sits on, and with Mr. Cooley, an elderly traveler and retired professor of geology staying at the local inn. These friendships are tested, as is Calder's delicate sense of belonging, when it becomes apparent that Walt's ailing father, Calder's grandmother, a rich out-of-towner, and the Weldon Development Society all have plans for the boulder.

 

A sensitive story about the small and large accommodations of getting along in life, growing up, and finding a place to call one's own, A Piece of the World possesses the quiet intensity and lasting charm of Mildred Walker's best work.

218 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Mildred Schemm Walker (May 2, 1905 – May 27, 1998) was an American novelist who published 12 novels and was nominated for the National Book Award. She graduated from Wells College and from the University of Michigan. She was a faculty member at Wells College from 1955 to 1968. Walker died in 1998 in Portland, Oregon.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually three and a half stars rounded up.

I have been meaning to try out Mildred Walker for some time, and it was a choice between Winter Wheat and this one. I wish now that I had chosen Winter Wheat. "A Piece of the World" is not bad, but it has a definite YA feel to it.

After her parents' divorce, Calder Bailey is sent to live with her maternal grandmother in Vermont. Her father is busy with the new woman in his life, and her mother "has to find herself." One problem I have with the novel is that Calder takes all of this very well. The divorce doesn't seem to bother her. While Calder doesn't like that her father has left, she likes her future stepmother and wants to live with the two of them. However, she is told that her mother needs her. You get the impression that Calder is supposed to take care of her supposedly adult mother.

Living in small town Vermont is a big change for Calder, who is a California girl, but she makes friends, most notably with a boy named Walt, whose family owns land on which a beautiful, green, serpentine rock rests. Calder and Walt become caught up in an attempt to protect the rock and the surrounding area from developers who want to change the area forever.

While I enjoyed the book, like I said, it is definitely written for younger readers. I didn't think Calder was fleshed out well enough. I never really got a feel for her. Walt was a much better developed character. However, this is a good introduction to Mildred Walker's writing and I will try another of her books, probably Winter Wheat, in the future.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a YA novel that Mildred Walker wrote for her grandchildren and is a wonderful read even for jaded adults. She conjures up the small town atmosphere of Vermont beautifully and tells a memorable story story about a huge hidden boulder and its effect on visitors and townspeople. My only complaint is that I wish this book was longer.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one isn’t as good as most of Walker’s other books. There are a few period details that make it feel fairly dated now. And it isn’t quite a children’s book, but they seem to sorta call it that. (I cannot imagine a child reading this, or getting anything out of it.)

[Brett McLay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mildred Walker (b. 1905) is an unsung author. Looking forward to reading more of her works.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3++

[Erin Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminds me of books I loved from my childhood. A perfect book with a respect for nature and growing up.

[Mary Berger-Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book about Wyeth's muse... Life was hard, and her debilitation made it more so. She was fortunate to have met Wyeth and shared with him her world and her needs.

[Bob Stocker · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was growing up in New England more than half a century ago, a large boulder that my friends and I found in the woods became a special place for us. Several days ago I came across A Piece of the World while looking for another book by Mildred Walker. I thought a book about a twelve-year-old girl becoming emotionally attached to a boulder in the woods might resonate with me. The boulder theme did resonate. Unfortunately, much of the book did not. In addition to being about a twelve-year-old, the book was written for twelve-year-olds. I'm stretching a bit to give it 3 stars. Young readers might appreciate the book more than I did.