Sons from Afar

September 2, 1996
This installment of the Tillerman saga (begun in Homecoming) focuses on the Tillerman brothers' search for the father who abandoned them; PW said the work "rings with truth and compassion." Ages 12-up.

September 1, 1987
Anyone unfamiliar with the Tillerman familywritten about in Homecoming, Dicey's Song, the recent Come a Stranger and other titlescan begin with this one, a probing story about a quiet boy who ennobles himself simply by being himself and his seemingly straightforward brother, who both takes and inspires action. James Tillerman is 15 now, and Sammy, 12, although the older boy is small for his age and the younger brother large for his. "Things were so simple for Sammy, clear and simple,'' Voigt writes, but James's refrain is more complicated, for he begins so many sentences with ``Do you ever wonder . . . ?'' He wants to find their father and understand why the man never claimed them, never wanted to see who they were. What he and Sammy discover, in a dank bar where merchant sailors hang out, is that their father cheats almost everyone he meets: their mother of marriage, fellow sailors of money, his children of company, love, supportand (but only if they let him) even of dignity. A complex story of the ways in which people piece themselves togetherwith or in spite of their backgroundsVoigt's book rings with truth and compassion. Ages 12-up.

January 1, 2013
Voigt's Tillerman Cycle (including the 1983 Newbery Medalwinning [cf2]Dicey's Song[cf1] and [cf2]A Solitary Blue[cf1], a 1984 Newbery Honor Book) has been reissued as a set. The books open to reveal spacious pages, with added leading between lines and a wider typeface. The contemporary look and accessible layout should help introduce a new generation of readers to the indomitable Dicey Tillerman and her world.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)