Backwater

Bauer, Joan. Backwater. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1999. ISBN-10:0-399-23141-2


Plot Summary
Ivy Breedlove is the lone historian in a family of lawyers. If not for Aunt Tib, Ivy might think she was born into the wrong family. But Aunt Tib encourages Ivy to dig deeper into the family's past and learn about the Breedlove's who weren't lawyers. Ivy is writing a family history for Aunt Tib's birthday but she is missing one important story: the story of her aunt Jo. Jo lives all alone with her pet wolf and a the birds she treats as patients at her animal hospital. So Ivy does a little detective work to find Jo's hideaway and hires Mountain Mama to take her across the rugged terrain to interview her aunt. As a condition of the interview, Mountain Mama leaves Ivy alone, but when the worst blizzard in years blows in, it will take everything the women have to get out safely.

Critical evaluation
Backwater is both a thrilling adventure about the trials of wilderness and a touching story about the common bond of family. Ivy eloquently explains her interest in history, while at the same time is unable to express her interest to her father. Jo seems happy to be the outcast of the family, living on her own away from the pressure of tradition, but if not for the presence of Ivy, she would have died in the blizzard. Jo not only needs her family to survive, but also enjoys the company of her family for their shared history and mutual respect, even if they are dissimilar. Utimately, Joan Bauer tells a story of respect and acceptance that will resonate with many teens who are struggling to find their place in their family.

Readers Annotations
The Breedlove family speaks of their sister Jo so infrequently its as if she never existed. But Ivy is a devoted historian and she won't rest until she has Jo's story for the family history book. After some detective work, Ivy sets off across the mountain ridge to Jo's remote home. In the town of Backwater, where Jo is mayor and only resident, Ivy learns that she's not the only one who feels left out in the Breedlove family.

Information About the Author
Joan Bauer is a celebrated author who has won a Newberry Honor Medal and whose books have been selected as an ALA top ten books for young adults. She and her three sisters were raised by her mother and grandfather. Bauer now lives with her husband and has grown children of her own.

Genre
Realistic fiction


Curriculum Ties


Booktalking Ideas
Feeling left out

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 7-12

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas
none

Why Book Included
Appeared on a list of recommended books for middle schoolers that was published by the Sacramento Public Library