Citation:
O’Roark Dowell, Frances. Dovey
Coe. New York: Athenaeum Books for Young Readers, 2000.
Genre: Mystery
Annotation:
Stuck up rich teen Parnell Caraway had it coming. When 12
year old Dovey Coe wakes up to Parnell’s mom screaming as she discovers Dovey
next to her son’s dead body, everyone in town assumes Dovey killed him. But why
would a girl so young take such action and was she really the one who did it?
Nomination Thoughts:
Dear Dovey grew on me as I raced through this book. She’s
about as scrappy as they come. It took a couple pages to fall into the dialect
of the setting, mid 20’s North Carolina. The way the characters speak adds
authenticity though. The book would not have the same power without it. Dovey
does not take crap from anyone which drives Parnell Caraway a little crazy. He
has free reign over the town because his family is the richest in it. Whatever
he wants, he gets… except when it comes to the Coe family. Most the other
townspeople are poor and beholden to the Caraway family. The Coe family might
not be rich but they are self sufficient. According to Dovey “The way I seen
things, us Coes had everything we needed in this world” They are happy with
their lives. Even her deaf brother gets along ok in life. Her older beautiful sister unfortunately becomes object of Parnell’s lust.
Since she is the prettiest girl in town, Parnell thinks she should marry, take care
of and have lots of babies for him. She flatly turns him down in favor of
following her dream to go to college and become a teacher. Shortly thereafter,
Parnell is found dead next to Dovey.
I would recommend this as a possible contender for our
Printz Award. As mysteries go, I am sure there are stronger ones out there.
What this book has going instead is the depth of the characters. You find
yourself believing they could exist. They interact in real ways that reflect a
wide range of behavior and expectations based on social economic backgrounds.
This holds true right down to a justice system that is heavily weighted against
the spunky Dovey as she goes on trial for murder at the age of 12 years. YA can see people they know in the
characters. The plot moves along at a good pace. Did I mention how much I
enjoyed Dovey’s voice?! There is much suspense as the crime is picked apart.
This book gives a YA audience plenty to chew on- lust denied, inequalities,
disability concerns, justice system issues, family dynamics and taking a stand
for what you believe in.
Nominate? Yes.
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