Hope in the Valley

Perkins, Mitali. Hope in the Valley

July 11, 2023 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Pandita Paul lives in the Silicon Valley in the 1980. She lives with her father, who is a professor, and her two older sisters, but is struggling since the sudden death of her mother sevearl years previously when the family was visiting relatives in India. She and her mother frequently snuck into a derelict house that was part of a farm that is no longer active that is across the street from her house, and she still spends time on the porch, reading her mother's letters. She's an anxious child, who isn't into theater or social activism like her sisters, so she is not happy when her father tells her that he has enrolled her in a summer theater program so that she gets out of the house. This is especially horrible because the town wants to tear down the old farmhouse and develop the farm into affordable housing, since the tech industry is booming and there are not enough apartments and houses that teachers, police, and other necessary workers can afford. The one saving grace of the program is that Leo, whom she has recently met because his mother is a nurse in a senior facility Pandita visits, is also enrolled. His family is from the Philippines, and thinking of moving out of town to a less expensive apartment. Pandita gets involved with the local historical society to fight the demolition of the house, in part because her beloved public librarian is a member. It doesn't help that one of her sisters is pushing for the apartments, and is as much involved in fighting for the apartments as Pandita is involved in fighting against them. Pandita loses her mother's letters when the farmhouse is cleaned out, and when she discovers that the historical society may have them, she volunteers to go through many boxes of papers, hoping to find them. What she does find is information about the owners of the farm (an orchard) who have a fascinating story that ties into some social justice issues. It's a losing battle, though, just like the one she is secretly fighting with her father. He has never felt comfortable talking about Pandita's mother, so she and her sisters have never discussed her, and now he is dating a brash, talkative Bengali woman, Dr. Shom. Pandita doesn't like the thought of her mother being displaced, although Dr. Shom is generally kind and helpful. It's an uncomfortable summer filled with all manner of things that Pandita doesn't like. Will she be able to survive theater camp, her father's dating, the loss of the country feel to her neighborhood, and the general forward motion of life?

Strengths: Turning 13 seems like it would be a good thing, but Pandita finds out, the way many of us do, that life doesn't really stop to consider what WE would like. Especially in the 1980s, little consideration was given to tweens feelings, especially ones that were considered "sensitive". I can't imagine the building that would have gone on in the Silicon Valley at this point in time, since even in Ohio there was a ton of new construction in the middle of cornfields, none of which really took into account any properties of historical or emotional significance. Perkins does a good job of capturing some of the feel of the time in a way that addresses universal concerns, and throws in some great references, especially to the classic children's literature that she loves. (If you are a "kindred spirit" don't miss her 2021 Steeped in Stories: Timeless Children’s Novels to Refresh Our Tired Souls.) Her family is supportive and present, but want her to do things that THEY want her to do. She manages to make some new friends, and the historical research she does, even though it doesn't help save the farm, adds another layer of interest. Hope in the Valley is a refreshing and engaging look at an underrepresented time period. 
Weaknesses: This story could have been told without the death of the mother, although I appreciated the inclusion of the father dating. I was never a fan of change when I was a tween, and was furiously upset when a house was built on a vacant lot across the street from my house. Pandita would still have felt connected to the farm house and been angry about its demolition even if her mother were alive.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Dilloway's Five Thing About Ava Andrews, Giles' Take Back the Block, or even Yee's Maizy Chen's Last Chance (with the history in the background).