Lucinda Hunter has lived an isolated, agoraphobic life for 27 years in the Connecticut farmhouse left to her by her mother, Lily, a famous actress who died at age 47. The public thought Lucinda was adopted, but she knew she was Lily's child, and they had a great relationship in spite of the fact that she never knew her father's identity. After her mother's death, Lucinda does discover that her father also died, but this knowledge only intensifies her sense of entrapment. Finally, a little girl appears and invites her outside to play. Nine-year-old Katanya has come to the suburbs from Harlem thanks to the Fresh Air Fund only to have her host family ignore her because of their own domestic troubles. Katanya becomes a breath of fresh air for Lucinda, who learns about life from this precious, intelligent child and the two become fast friends. This gentle story about self-exploration and the indomitable spirit that resides in us all will add to Vale Allen's already impressive popularity. --Patty Engelmann

Spunky nine-year-old Katanya Taylor, from Harlem, moves in with agoraphobic Lucinda Hunter, in Connecticut, when Katanya's original Fresh Air Fund matchup for a two-week vacation goes awry. At the start of this tale of reawakening and reconciliation-Vale Allen's 37th novel-young Katanya opens up 46-year-old Lucinda's life, breathing fresh air into her staid existence. Lucinda's world once revolved around her mother, Lily, who lived a rags-to-riches saga as a Hollywood star. Lily's untimely death from breast cancer left 19-year-old Lucinda-recently graduated from Yale with successful screenplays already under her belt-both orphaned and wealthy, with unanswered questions about her absent father, who she has come to learn was partly black. Her subsequent history-after the loss of her mother and a failed love affair, she becomes a total recluse-is not entirely credible, and now, 27 years later, it's hard to believe that a few encounters with Katanya could cure such a deeply rooted problem. Yet the author builds a poignant story out of Lucinda's search for her black roots and the family that she never knew. And Katanya, with her bright outlook on life, street smarts and spirited personality, is a delightful character. Despite the rather schematic fictional world Allen creates, the fluidity of her prose and her easy narrative skills are persuasive, and there's no doubt that readers will find her characters immensely appealing. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved