By: Kate Thompson
Level: YA
J.J. Liddy despairs of his daughter Jenny who roams the Irish highlands in barefeet and all weathers. In addition, J.J. has to convince his daughter Hazel to have a fake baby and find a way for his friend Mikey Cullen to reach the top of a local mountain. Jenny does not understand her family. They have all of these emotions that she does not comprehend, she also does not understand why she must go to school when her friend the puka teaches her how to listen to the wind. The puka wants Jenny to make friends with the ghost of a boy who is tied to the mountain. When the ghost is gone, the puka assures Jenny that he and his family will stop the erosion of the earth’s resources that humans have wrought. The story develops slowly and is bewildering at times, but this is intentional to create just the right amount of tension to resolve the eventual conflict between the puka, J.J. Liddy, and the rest of the characters.
