Rating: 3 stars
Cover synopsis: Peewee idolizes Jake, a big brother with dreams of auto mechanic glory. And motoring down the road come Irene Ridpath, a young librarian with plans to astonish them all and turn Peewee's life upside down.
I wasn't thrilled with this book. It wasn't half as interesting as Peck's other offerings I've read so far. So I had to ask myself was I disappointed because it really wasn't good, or was I disappointed because I expected so much more from Peck?
In the end, I decided the book itself is OK, but I was disappointed in the author. The storyline had a lot of potential, but Peck didn't carry it to the heights it could have attained. And there are two underlying problems that keeps nagging me: Why on earth would four rich librarians take on this small town? Peck never really answers as to their motivation. I can't be entirely because one of them was interested in the poor orphaned mechanic? The whole set-up didn't make sense. And why on earth would a girl who is perfectly happy in the grease pit and who doesn't care what people think of her all of a sudden want to be a lady? Peewee's actions didn't fall in accordance with the character and personality she was crafted in the book.
But beside those points, the book is decently written and has its moments (such as the early scene of the twister in the graveyard, and the play-by-play of the dirt track race at the end). So I award it, tentatively, 3 stars.
