Shoshanna, her mother, Ella, and her little sister, Mara, live precarious lives at Sweet Earth Farm, where her parents have founded a chaos-ridden commune. The cruel behavior of the girls' father, Adam, drives Ella to steal the commune's car and get help from an old friend. The family, meanwhile, is terrified ere is nothing worse than an angry Adam. Hurwitz's debut novel is full of great sensory details about life in 1970, from Ella's chain-smoking to the hippie funk of the commune and the feel of harvesting vegetables on the farm where they seek shelter. Shoshanna and Mara are wizened by what they have witnessed and haunted by drug rages, orgies, and casual violence. This is no tale of hippie paradise: Hurwitz tells it like it was and doesn't shy away from the bitter portions of the peace-and-love revolution. The threat of Adam's return pulls the story taut and drives the narrative relentlessly forward. A bittersweet coming-of-age story buoyed by Shoshanna's small triumphs as she learns to stand tall despite the circumstances.

Gr 7 Up-When 14-year-old Shoshanna's physically abusive father offers his daughter's body to a fellow member of the violent, drug-dependent commune Sweet Earth Farm, Shoshie's mother, Ella, secretly flees with Shosie and her six-year-old sister, Mara. It's 1970, and with flower power waning, hippies Ella, Shoshie, and Mara can't find their way to a new home in the foreign outside world. Enter Judy, a young hippie who has found a way to balance her ideals with practicality. Together they form a new kind of family with some added help from old and new friends. While Shoshie remains terrified of her father finding them, she also begins to enjoy feeling safe on the rural California farm where they have settled. When Ella's cancer diagnosis upsets the good vibes of their new life, Shoshie draws on her newfound strength to carry on despite challenges and tragedy. While this pat ending may leave some readers dissatisfied, others may be relieved. Despite the emotional and mental stress caused by the threat of Shoshie's father potentially returning, nothing particularly sinister actually takes place. The historical dialogue is so "groovy" it can feel farcical; however, Hurwitz's descriptions of California and progressive cultural movements create a vivid and accurate landscape. VERDICT A good purchase for teens who dig stories about cults and the hippie movement. Mariah Manley, Medway Public Library, MA