Counting Thyme

February 1, 2016
Conklin makes a strong debut with this moving family story narrated by 11-year-old Thyme, whose five-year-old brother, Val, has been fighting cancer for nine months. When he is accepted into a drug trial, the Owens family leaves San Diego for New York City, where Thyme focuses on her secret plan to return home early. Conklin realistically depicts Thyme’s
culture shock in Manhattan (apartment living, Laundromats, cold weather), homesickness for her grandmother and best friend, and the roller coaster of emotions that accompany a family member’s serious illness; equally strong is the exploration of middle-school friendship difficulties and the beginnings of a first crush. While a few of the characters (such as Thyme’s crush and the woman hired to cook and accompany her to and from school) are a little too good to be true, most develop in credible ways through their individual struggles. Conklin successfully weaves together the shifting dynamics of a loving family under crisis with the less dramatic but equally heartfelt turmoil of coming of age in a new environment. Ages 10–up. Agent: Peter Knapp, New Leaf Literary & Media.

February 1, 2016
Her younger brother's critical illness and a transcontinental move create upheaval in 11-year-old Thyme's life. In the nine months since her brother, Val, was diagnosed with cancer, Thyme's family life has been in turmoil. Her family's relocation to New York from California, for a new treatment to prevent the recurrence of Val's cancer, leaves Thyme feeling conflicted. Conklin sympathetically addresses Thyme's struggles to reconcile her longing to return home with her growing awareness of the significance of Val's new treatment. While depicting the complexity of the family members' reactions, from older sister Cori's increasing rebelliousness to their mother's distracted preoccupation, Conklin also reveals their unwavering support for Val. Despite her determination to remain aloof, Thyme soon becomes attached to her life in New York. She joins work on the school's spring performance and develops fledging friendships, including one with Jake, who she learns has also experienced grief. Thyme's efforts to cope with the constant uncertainty and her feelings of insignificance in light of Val's health issues illuminate the emotional impact a sibling's serious illness has on the family. Although Thyme may feel invisible next to Val's illness, when a medical crisis occurs, she realizes her vital importance to her family. Though Thyme and her family appear to be white, her classroom is realistically diverse. Thyme's remarkable perseverance and resilience will inspire readers of Conklin's compassionate tale. (Fiction. 10-14)

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February 1, 2016

Gr 4-7-When her five-year-old brother Val begins a clinical trial for cancer treatment at New York's Sloane Kettering Hospital, 11-year-old Thyme and her family leave their beloved San Diego home to move to the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Thyme embraces her role as the helpful middle sister, secretly saving slips of "time"-good behavior chits-so she can go home, all the while trying to avoid adjusting to New York or letting anyone at school know about Val's illness. With just the right pace of character development and a believable voice for the shy, awkward Thyme, Conklin takes her protagonist through a journey of connecting to others and learning to articulate her own needs. A constant but quiet tension runs throughout, both concerning Val's health and Thyme's emotional growth; readers continuously watch Thyme's reactions as other characters-including a cute boy who seems to understand about secrets-reach out to her. Sadness and hope are well balanced, and the family characters and interactions are tense but full of love. Most experienced readers will recognize several overused plot points (e.g., young girl befriends lonely, grumpy, elderly neighbor; immigrant housekeeper lends strength through her cooking) and wonder at this upper middle class white girl's lack of awareness or curiosity about her cultural and socioeconomic place in her new home. VERDICT A slow and sweet book that will strum the heartstrings of readers in much the same ways as Jo Knowles's See You at Harry's (Candlewick, 2012), Wendy Mass's A Mango-Shaped Space (Little, Brown, 2003), or Katherine Hannigan's Ida B: ... And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World (Scholastic, 2004).-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2016
Grades 5-8 When 11-year-old Thyme's brother, Val, is accepted into a cancer treatment trial in New York, their family is uprooted from California with the hope of a cure. Thyme trusts the move will be temporary, but as Val's treatments show improvement, her parents keep secrets, and her sister gets involved in school, Thyme begins to wonder if New York might be a more permanent arrangement. Thyme wants to be there for her brother, so she can't help but feel guilty about wishing she could go back home. When things begin to get complicated at school with new friends and a first crush, Thyme feels torn between two placesher family and making her own way. Debut author Conklin writes with a pitch-perfect middle-grade voice, capturing Thyme's confusion and emotional struggle. The family dynamics are well developed and capture the dissonance that can happen during a family crisis. A nice choice for middle-grade readers who enjoy heartfelt and emotional novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Thyme's little brother, Val, is accepted into a drug trial designed to cure his rare form of cancer. But the trial is in New York and eleven-year-old Thyme's whole life--including best friend Shani and beloved Grandma Kay--is in San Diego. Growing pains, a family in crisis, and one child's immense fear of loss are compassionately and honestly depicted in Conklin's debut novel.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)