Downright Dencey

Well written and sweet. The target age is 9-12 but I didn't read it until I was in my mid-teens, but still managed to be caught up in it. It was a little distracting when the author discussed how the parents met, etc., but that part was short and the rest of the story was worth it. Part friendship, part bittersweet falling-in-love, and overall very good. It has a solid place on my bookshelf of favorites.

"Downright Dencey" tells the story of Dionis (Dencey) Coffyn and Sammie Jetsam. The story begins when Jetsam is insulting Dencey's family. Dencey gets mad at him and throws a stone at him. The stone cuts his arm and injures him badly. When Dionis asks for forgiveness, Jetsam says that she must give him her one and only storybook, "Pilgrim's Progress" and teach him to read it. This becomes a problem. Dencey's mother won't let her teach him if she asks for permission, so she must lie to teach him. More than once, Jetsam's care giver, the one and only drunk Injun Jill, tries to capture Dencey and force her away, and more than once, Jetsam stands up to Injun Jill and distracts her, while Dencey safely gets away. During this time, Jetsam begins to learn to read and learns what respect is. Finally he grows up to be a great young man, and as a young man, he falls in love with Dencey. But will the rest of the town accept him the way Dencey does? This book is for everyone. It's part love story, part adventure story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. It's no wonder that it was a 1928 Newbery Honor Book! For ages 10-17.