A Good Place for Maggie

by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman

Overview

“Twisted Creek? Are you sure?” a gas station attendant asks the bewildered Maggie Cruz, when she stops in a remote gas station alongside a desolate road. The old man’s questions stay with Maggie as she drives up into the mountains toward Twisted Creek, but Maggie is on a mission. She is hoping to escape the lonely house her mother keeps in Los Angeles, and she hopes to reconnect with the memories of her late father through her beloved grandfather, a resident of Twisted Creek.

But from the minute Maggie arrives, Twisted Creek is a major adjustment. After navigating the neglected road into town, Maggie discovers a place where there are very few cars, no cell phone reception, no TV, and none of the modern comforts of home. When Maggie enrolls at the local school, she discovers that there, too, things are… different from home. With a class of six people, no soft drinks, and the only weekend activities involving ice cream and watching The Wizard of Oz multiple times, Maggie begins to wonder what happened to the town. But quiet is exactly what she wants, isn’t it?

Maggie is inadvertently drawn into a battle over the progress that she detests back home and the pitfalls of life in an isolated town. Soon, Maggie begins to question her own need to escape and the problems she has left in Los Angeles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781611927221
Publisher:	Arte Publico Press
Publication date:	10/31/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	152 KB
Age Range:	11 - 16 Years

About the Author

OFELIA DUMAS LACHTMAN was born in Los Angeles of Mexican immigrant parents. She has written numerous novels for young adults, including The Summer of El Pintor (Piñata Books, 2001), Call Me Consuelo (Piñata Books, 1997), Leticia’s Secret (Piñata Books, 1997), and The Girl from Playa Blanca (Piñata Books, 1995). She continues to live and work in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 6-9-When Maggie Cruz takes off in her old VW for her grandfather's house, her only thought is to escape Los Angeles, her mother and stepfather, and her grief over her father's recent death. In remote Twisted Creek, the only two telephones are owned by the bank; there is no television reception or cable; and the only access to the outside world is the dangerous road she drove in on. After she convinces her reluctant mother and grandfather to let her finish out the school year there, the 16-year-old befriends a group of teens who are trying to mobilize the town against the wealthy Bremmer family who has kept it from any modernization. Maggie, however, doesn't want it to change, fearing that it will become too much like the city she left behind. Over time, though, she finds herself becoming a part of the young people's efforts, and in the process discovers that she must come to terms with the changes in her own life. Like Joan Bauer's Hope Was Here (Putnam, 2000), this novel portrays a group of teens who work to change the world around them. Lachtman animates the story with believable dialogue and likable characters. Maggie is a thoughtful, courageous teen with an endearing talent for finding the good in others, even stubborn, greedy old Mr. Bremmer. The resolution comes a little too quickly, both for the town and for Maggie herself, and a brief subplot about the local water being contaminated is never fully addressed. These minor flaws aside, however, this is an enjoyable read.-Ashley Larsen, Woodside Library, CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal