Louise has always felt inferior to her twin sister, Caroline. She feels that her sister got extra care, extra love, extra admiration her entire life. Caroline is the talented sister, with a beautiful voice, and the entire community of Rass Island loves her. Louise befriends Call, and the local man - The Captain, but Caroline enthralls them, too. Louise is envious of the care everyone shows to Caroline.
It isn't until Louise leaves the island and goes to college, and begins working as a nurse/midwife, that she meets a community that she believes cherishes her for who she is. The ending provides closure and allows Louise to come to terms with the sibling relationship. ( )

I read this book as a kid and it really got inside my head. It actually still bubbles up in my memory from time to time, probably because the issues of belonging and fitting in that first drew me to the book are ones that still plague me today. ( )

Newbery Medal Winner! SLJ Best Book of the Year!

Newbery Award Winner! SLJ Best Book of the Year!

I read this book on my slow but sure quest to read the Newbery winners. There were parts of the book that made me say, "Wow - they classified this as a CHILDREN'S book?" Maybe some of the things that made me cringe would go over a young person's head, but I'm not entirely convinced. Having said that, the book was a good read, and found the way things wrapped up very satisfying. ( )