Poppy is on an odyssey. Her adoptive mother has taken off to find herself, so Poppy decides to live with her adoptive father, his new wife, Calypso, and their toddler, Sandeep, in a ramshackle rasp-berry-colored house. At first Poppy is distressed by the disordered household, which is unlike anything she has ever known, but soon it becomes a jumping-off point for her search for her birth mother. Poppy discovers a great many things in the course of her search. She finds a kindred spirit in a strange, sickly woman named Becca, and an unexpected connection with the hippy, Calypso. But most of all, she finds a part of herself she didn’t even know was missing. Grade 6-10-When Poppy's divorced mother spends the summer in Greece with her boyfriend, the adopted teen decides to visit her dad and his new family in Winnipeg and search for her birth mother. The visit has its ups and downs. Her stepmother's pregnancy obliges Poppy to do much of the housework and help take care of her two-year-old half-brother. The rather bohemian lifestyle that her father and Calypso lead makes her uncomfortable, as do the town's rampant cankerworms that drop from the trees into her hair. Then she meets Becca, an elusive woman who, like Poppy, has red hair and who once gave away a baby girl for adoption. When Poppy discovers that Becca is not her mother, they part with Becca's words, "Perhaps we're always looking, hoping to find the thing we want-we think we need-in someone else." The teen's quest for her mother becomes a journey into self-awareness and she, with the help of her new friend Mac, discovers what the word "family" really means. Sensitively written, the story explores a variety of relational issues in a realistic way. Poppy is rather self-centered, prickly, and fiercely independent, though also insecure, good-hearted, and loving. An appealing book with a host of unusual characters that will worm their way into readers' hearts. Janet Hilbun, formerly at Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TX Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. an odyssey. Her adoptive mother has taken off to find herself, so Poppy decides to live with her adoptive father, his new wife, Calypso, and their toddler, Sandeep, in a ramshackle rasp-berry-colored house. At first Poppy is distressed by the disordered household, which is unlike anything she has ever known, but soon it becomes a jumping-off point for her search for her birth mother. Poppy discovers a great many things in the course of her search. She finds a kindred spirit in a strange, sickly woman named Becca, and an unexpected connection with the hippy, Calypso. But most of all, she finds a part of herself she didn t even know was missing. Poppy is on an odyssey. Her adoptive mother has taken off to find herself, so Poppy decides to live with her adoptive father, his new wife, Calypso, and their toddler, Sandeep, in a ramshackle rasp-berry-colored house. At first Poppy is distressed by the disordered household, which is unlike anything she has ever known, but soon it becomes a jumping-off point for her search for her birth mother. Poppy discovers a great many things in the course of her search. She finds a kindred spirit in a strange, sickly woman named Becca, and an unexpected connection with the hippy, Calypso. But most of all, she finds a part of herself she didn't even know was missing. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Linda Holeman had always dreamed of becoming an author. Her first writing success came when she was in grade 5. A story she had written was aired on the CBC radio program “Story Broadcast Journal” and she still has a copy of the booklet it was published in. Her career has included stints as a classroom and resource teacher and an adult workshop instructor. Her first published work as an adult was a collection of short stories called Saying Good-bye in 1995. She is the author of Frankie on the Run, a picture book and Flying to Yellow and The Devil’s Darning Needle , two collections of short stories for adults. Her fiction and non-fiction pieces have appeared in numerous anthologies. Both Promise Song, her first young adult novel and Mercy’s Birds, her second, were selected for Books for the Teen Age lists by The New York Public Library. Her third YA novel, Raspberry House Blues, was published in Fall 2000 to excellent reviews. All three novels feature strong female teen protagonists and have been praised for the true representation of character, and especially, dialogue. Search of the Moon King’s Daughter is a new work of historical fiction, already being well received. Linda Holeman lives in Winnipeg. "Your dad has come a long way in improving his physical and mental state since I met him," Calypso said. She was stirring the pot of oatmeal again. The stove was splattered with dried bits and pieces of food. Some of it looked like it had been there for months. "He says he'll never be a complete vegan, like me, but he does pretty well." "You're a ve