The Wayward Gifted Broken Point Review

[Gloria]

This review contains spoilers!


Steuart DuBoise is a young boy with an active imagination. He relies on his imagination to deal with the reality of having to move from his grandmother's big house in the South to an unknown life in the Midwest. Although he's ten, he seems much older than his years. He is able to articule his experiences and feelings better than a typical ten year old. Steuart sometimes speaks in anagrams, and his sister Sam collects colors and plays with them. They don't want to move, but their grandmother tells them to be positive about things, and promises that they will talk. To Steuart and Sam's mother, their grandmother airs her feelings about the move. She doesn't approve, but tells Steuart and Sam to make the best of it and be happy.

They arrive at the new house in the new city, and Steuart and Sam are stunned at the fall colors. They immediately unpack and get their rooms together, and go out and explore their new town. Sam is on a mission to get a leaf from a magnificently colored tree, and gets Steuart to cross railroad tracks and climb a ladder to a tree house.

Steuart and Sam are adopted. They are reminded of this during an annual celebration their mother refers to as “special” day. It is more education than special, where Steuart and Sam are reminded they are adopted, and how lucky they are to have a mother who cares about them. This particular day, Sam is convinced she will get the paints and paper she has been coveting for years. Instead, she gets a book of etiquette, a strange sort of bible their mother consults on a daily basis called Right, Good; and Appropriate. Sam was looking forward to her gift, only to be deeply disappointed. She throws the book across the room, smashing a few crystal pieces in the process. Coupled with Steuart's behavior on the day of the move, their mother, Olivia, takes them to a psychiatrist.

Stueart and Sam are given dolls. The dolls eventually come to life, and lead the brother and sister to an anagrammatic universe. Things are just slightly different here. Sometimes they seem to be better. However, Olivia hates the dolls. Olivia is obessed with perfectionism and craftsmanship. She gets into a heated argument with the children's psychiatrist, about the dolls. They are not ordinary dolls. They talk. The children agree to keep the dolls out of sight, but one day, Sam has laid her doll, named Trista, on her bed. Olivia throws the doll, and ends up smashing Trista's head. Sam gets Trista repaired at a doll hospital, but Trista, even though she looks great, she refuses to talk.

One day, Sam and Steuart find out they can travel to this anagrammatic universe, but something goes wrong and they become separated. Steuart goes missing for a few days, and the search is on. Sam enlists Trista, Ed (Steuart's doll) and a few people they've met in their new town to search for Steuart. They discover that in the anagrammatic universe, a friend who has cancer in one universe is perfectly well in the other. Not surprisingly, Dotsie wants to stay in the anagrammatic universe, where she doesn't have cancer.

I don't have a lot of information about this book, but it looks like this is the first in a series. This book about two rather mature young people, held my attention. That's saying something, because I'm pretty picky. I can't decide if this is a young adult novel featuring a mature young brother and sister, or a novel for grown ups, featuring a mature young brother and sister. While facing some extraordinary circumstances (such as talking dolls and traveling between universes) the brother and sister seem to stay quite calm.

I've never been into anagrams, but those who love them will probably enjoy this book quite a bit. The book is full of vivid detail. It is almost sensual, but never in a sexual way. You too will see the colors, feel the cold, watch the snow float down. This first journey with Steuart and Sam is one you won't be sorry you took.

Reviewed by Gloria Diaz

[Donna]

Thank you for taking the time to read The Wayward Gifted. Also, thank you for taking you time to write and share your review.
I am glad you enjoyed the book.

Donna Childree