There’s a reason to read the classics: they’ve proven their worth over time.  There’s a similar reason for reading the award winners: they’re usually pretty good books. That may sound snobbish but since this time on earth is limited, I prefer to read something that’s good.  Of course “good” is more than round characters and a well-paced plot.  To become something special, a story has to hit you where you live, make you turn over old memories and see something new in the world.  It’s not just entertainment; it’s soul-reviving.  Well, I  hunted through the Newbery finalists and boy, did I find a good book!

One Came Home is the third novel of Amy Timberlake, a writer who knows something of sisters and small towns.  It’s a mystery involving two sisters, Agatha and Georgina.  Agatha is the older one, adventuresome and pretty.  Georgie is the practical one, good with figures and strong-minded.  Agatha disappears and then the remains of a red-haired woman are found wrapped in Agatha’s best party dress, which leads to this great opening statement:

“It was the day of my sister’s first funeral and I knew it wasn’t her last – which is why I left.  That’s the long and the short of it.”

Georgie reminds me of Mattie Ross, that bold, uncompromising, heroine in True Grit.  Both girls blend stubborn minds with self-confidence; no adult can shake their sense of self.  But there’s a difference: Mattie will commit to a course and never re-think a decision while Georgie knows doubt and introspection. This is because Georgie has an older sister who has taught her more than one opinion that matters.

Agatha broadened Georgie’s vision, pointing out that not everyone wants the same goals and that life is something to be cherished, even among the wild animals.  Georgie is a sharpshooter who brings down birds for sport but it is her older sister who points out the beauty of flocking pigeons.  When everyone else believes her sister has died, Georgie resists, not because of the evidence as much as a denial of the loss.  Just as she couldn’t accept Agatha’s need for a different life, Georgie won’t accept Agatha’s death so she sets out to find her sister,  armed with a rifle, a book and a mule.  What follows has humor and terror and pain; it’s a journey that teaches Georgie about life.

It’s an adventure story, a thriller, a coming of age tale and a novel based around fact.  What ever else you can say about One Came Home, you must admit: it’s a winner.  It’s worth reading again and again.