From the Publisher
Praise for Family Tree:
* "Authentic . . . poignant . . . sure to satisfy." -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review
"Remarkable. . . [an] exceptional first volume." -- WALL STREET JOURNAL
"Martin excels at capturing the hopes and hardships of adolescent girls. . . powerful." -- THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"The story has that addictive quality of the multigenerational family saga . . . We're hooked. Bring on the next book." -- THE HORN BOOK
School Library Journal - Audio
08/01/2014
Gr 3–6—Francie Goldberg grows from age seven through college and into young womanhood over the course of this story, the third installment in Martin's series about four girls in four generations of the same family. While some background information would be filled if listeners are familiar with the prior two entries, this entry stands alone quite adequately. One could question what the titular "best kept secret" is, since Francie and her family have several. For Francie, one secret is that she has dyslexia, and the other is that she escapes from a potential abductor on the way home from elementary school, but tells no one. She faces issues that are typical of her age: racism, prejudice, miscommunication, divorce, cancer, and death, all of which are handled in an age-appropriate manner. One must wonder how learning disabilities like Francie's fade into the background as she eventually becomes a professional writer. Narrator Emily Rankin makes Francie and her friends come alive in the story. Recommended for fans of family stories.—Ann Brownson, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston
School Library Journal
08/01/2014
Gr 4–7—In this third installment of the series which follows four generations of women in the same family, readers get to know Francie, a girl growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Francie struggles with dyslexia and has difficulty in school. The slim volume follows her, chapter by chapter, as she overcomes her learning disability and graduates from college. A secondary purchase where circulation of the previous two titles is strong.
