Still, even in the darkest moments of the novel, I never lost hope for Peggy Sue.

The days of uncertainty while Peggy Sue waits to hear whether her parents have survived are a bit harrowing. There is another tough section toward the end of the book, when a tsunami strikes Hawaii and Peggy Sue is separated from her parents.

The parallels are skillful, adding pressure to Peggy’s situation without being purely duplicative. Throughout the novel, Bustard uses Howdy’s situation extremely effectively to mirror the struggles Peggy herself is going through. The scene where Peggy Sue has to leave her beloved cat, Howdy, in the quarantine center is heart-wrenching. Some of the writing may be too intense for younger or emotionally tender readers - I had a lump in my throat from almost the opening pages.

Also, be sure to catch my interview with Anne Bustard on BostonWriters.Īnywhere but Paradise is a beautifully written Middle Grade (MG) novel about Peggy Sue Bennett, a 12-year-girl who moves from Gladiola, Texas to Hawaii after her father gets a job in the sugar cane industry.Īimed at readers ages 8-12, Anywhere but Paradise touches on several important, yet difficult issues, for YA readers: bullying, discrimination, loneliness, and coming to terms with major life changes over which you have absolutely no control. Book Review: Anywhere but Paradise by Anne BustardĪs I mentioned a week or two ago, in January, EgmontUSA announced that they were going out of business, and that this spring’s list would be their last. I signed up to participate in Cuddlebuggery’s Last List Blog Hop in hopes of offering at least one of the affected writers a little bit of free publicity.

T Is for Texas by Anne Bustard