Dash Pearl loves words and puzzles, and he has passed this
passion on to his daughter Early and son Jubilation. He often comes home with riddles, rhymes and interesting
stories to entertain Early and Jubie.
Though Dash can barely support his wife and children with his meager
salary as a page in the Chicago Public Library System, he has big dreams that
his family can one day move out of their one room apartment and into their own
home. When a mysterious man offers
Dash a second job selling used books out of the Pearl family’s apartment, Dash
quickly accepts. Early is suspicious
of her father’s new high paying work, but she cannot image that her father
would be doing anything wrong.
However, when Dash disappears, his wife Summer fears that something
terrible has happened to him and it must be connected to his second job. The police believe Dash is involved in
criminal activity and has abandoned his family.
The Pearls face more misfortune when masked men break into
their apartment, take all of their valuables, and smash everything that is
left. Without money or an income, Summer
has no choice but to take her family to Helping Hand Shelter. The Pearls quickly learn how difficult
life in a homeless shelter can be.
The lack of privacy, long lines, and constant illnesses in the shelter wear
on the family. Early knows that
her father would never purposely leave them or break the law. If she can just figure out the clues
Dash left behind, she can find her father and clear his name. Then the family can get back to
working on fulfilling their dreams.
Blue Balliett’s new novel does an excellent job of
illustrating the hardships of the working poor and the homeless. Hold Fast shows how crippling these
hardships can be for children.
Early is the target of ridicule at school because her peers know where
she is living, Jubie becomes sick from the illnesses spread at the shelter, and
it seems impossible for Summer to find a job without decent day care options
for her son. Despite all the
wonderful services Helping Hand offers, the Pearls would be stuck in this
shelter without the support of Dash.
The reader wants the Pearls to succeed, and Balliet’s novel would surely
lead to more empathy for the homeless.
Though the Pearl family’s story is very compelling, the
mystery in Hold Fast is not. Early’s investigation is a dry read,
and Balliet takes the last thirty pages of the novel to explain what happened
to Dash. I’ve had trouble selling
students on Balliet’s novels, and I fear I will experience the same problems
with Hold Fast. As a former
teacher, Balliet wants to incorporate poetry and math into her stories, which
is laudable, but the result is often laborious for readers.
3.5 out of 5 Stars
Grades 5 and up
Dash Pearl loves words and puzzles, and he has passed this
passion on to his daughter Early and son Jubilation. He often comes home with riddles, rhymes and interesting
stories to entertain Early and Jubie.
Though Dash can barely support his wife and children with his meager
salary as a page in the Chicago Public Library System, he has big dreams that
his family can one day move out of their one room apartment and into their own
home. When a mysterious man offers
Dash a second job selling used books out of the Pearl family’s apartment, Dash
quickly accepts. Early is suspicious
of her father’s new high paying work, but she cannot image that her father
would be doing anything wrong.
However, when Dash disappears, his wife Summer fears that something
terrible has happened to him and it must be connected to his second job. The police believe Dash is involved in
criminal activity and has abandoned his family. 