I frequently buy books based on their covers. I feel no shame about this. That, after all, is what covers are for; to attract readers, to hook them on the book. I pride myself on knowing what covers will grab kids' attention and convince them to pick up a book. I can't always tell you how I know a cover will work, but when I first saw this one I knew it would. Something about the colors, the girl's stance, and the animals and I could tell you

This is historical fiction
Set in a small town, probably in the rural south and the girl will have some kind of quirky name
The girl has probably lost her parents but might just have family issues
A certain subset of 9-12 year old girls will fight to grab it off the shelf.
When I received a review copy, I quickly discovered that I was right on all counts except the geography - it's Vermont. The story is set in the 1950s, Blue, the main character, was a foundling and wants to know what happened to her mother, and the copy I bought for the library has been flying off the shelf all summer.

Is the story cliched? Heck yeah. You've got the girl with the quirky name, in a small town where everybody knows each other but they're hiding secrets. Blue's adoptive guardian isn't demonstrative but you know by the end she's going to realize how much she loves her. There's even the stereotyped "simple" man that animals naturally love and who is so gentle he never fights back, even against the stereotypically bad boys whose nasty father never stops their cruelty. There's the required natural disaster and the grand denouement, when Blue realizes that all the family she wants is right there in town.

Is there anything wrong with this? Nope. Well, except for the "brain-damaged/simple people are naturally good with animals and will never hurt anyone" stereotype, which really, really annoys me. The point is that that's why kids, and people, love genre fiction. You know what to expect and it's comforting to fall into the familiar tropes of the story. Just because it's not unique and doesn't have any unexpected twists (I'm not talking about the "big secret" at the end of the story - that's part of the expected tropes) doesn't mean it's not well-written, interesting, and fun to read.

Verdict: I long ago outgrew this particular genre and was never a big fan to start with, but as I said earlier, there are plenty of kids who will eat it up. This is a pretty good example of the genre and would make an excellent addition to any library.

ISBN: 9780375860997; Published 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Purchased for the library

Author: Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Published By: Random House Children's Books
Age Recommended: 8+
Reviewer: Arlena Dean
Raven Rating: 5
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Reveiw:

"True Colors" by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock was a very good novel for the young readers and I (adult) enjoyed it also. This author did a wonderful job with "True Colors." Be ready for a lot of secrets that will come out.

True Colors" was of a girl named Blue...she had been left wrapped in a quilt in a 'copper kettle that Hannah Spooner grew her marigolds in." This just happened to be the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. A sweet lady named Hannah(who was elderly) ...took in Blue and she was raised as her very own. As Blue grew older she spent a lots of her time delivering to homes baked items that Hannah sold to the town people. Now, Blue had began to wonder just who she really was..where was her mother? Why had her mother left her in a copper kettle? What if Hannah hadn't found her? Now, this is when I say you must simply pick up the novel to see how Blue in "True Colors" will come out in all of this novel.

There will be a lots of drama that will be in "True Colors." Get ready.... to see how this best friend named Nadine treats Blue......but was she really a friend? Who was divorcing, stealing, setting fires, writing a column for the town's newspaper and the animals that Raleigh had saved. What is going on?

The characters were simply wonderful ... all of them and their were many...Blue, Hannah, Nadine, Keith Mr. and Mrs. Tilton, Mr. Gilpin, Dennis & Wesley Wright, Mr. Wright, Raleigh, Mr. and Mrs. Appleby, Mrs. Gray, Mr.Hazelton, Raymond Lapointe, Mrs. Wells, Mr. Roy Allard, Mrs. Willson, Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Paisley, Esther, Mrs. Barclay, Mr. and Mrs. Potter only to name a few..because I am sure I have left someone out. Each of these characters really added to the storyline. Will Blue find what she has wanted to know all of her life...what secrets did Hannah have? What had happened to Myrtle Rose? ..again you must pick up "True Colors" to find out. You will not be disappointed because this is a wonderful well written read.

If you are in for a good solid read... "True Color" is definitely a good read to pick up to read. I would recommend this one to the young person for a good read. ( )