Dicey's Song

Locations
Call Number: R Newbery Medal 1983, Teen Fiction
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Kids Reference 0-week checkout	R Newbery Medal 1983	0-week checkout	Library Use Only
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Sequel to: Homecoming.
Now that the four abandoned Tillerman children are settled in with their grandmother, Dicey finds that their new beginnings require love, trust, humor, and courage.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Poverty, Loss and Hope in the Late 70's submitted by sdunav on August 19, 2011, 9:03am This is a beautiful coming of age story about a 13 y.o. girl from a poverty-stricken background, who now lives with her three younger siblings and an irascible grandmother on the edge of a small town on the Chesapeake Bay. There are quite a bit of thought-provoking parts in Dicey's story, about the meaning of family, learning disabilities, school and dealing with teachers, and dealing with loss. I think it definitely deserved the Newbery award, and it is rather timeless (unlike "Summer of the Swans", for instance), not really linked to any specific happenings in the late 70's.

There isn't much action - and there is a lot of self-reflection - so some teenagers (especially some boys) may not be very interested. In many ways, I think that Dicey's Song appears to be a "typical Newbery winner" - full of angst, depressing events, and beautiful language. So kids (and adults, mea culpa) don't particularly *want* to read it. Which is a shame, as it's a wonderful story. The characters seem so real that it makes me want to read more about the Tillerman family, and I think that's really the ultimate compliment you can give a book.

Unexpected submitted by Lyd on July 7, 2013, 2:37pm I really enjoyed this book as an accompaniment to Homecoming. This story follows Dicey Tillerman, a well-defined character who seems to know what she is doing. Dicey is not the most friendly person outside of her family, although she does manage to make two very interesting friends. Being the oldest of 4, she takes care of her younger siblings and is very loving and caring to them. Dicey is unlike any other character you have ever read about, she is so much different than the people around her in an interesting way. I would definitely recommend this book, it is very well-writtten.

Love this series. submitted by lpettie on July 18, 2016, 6:28pm My favorite YA series.

negotiating normalcy submitted by camelsamba on August 21, 2017, 10:10pm I checked this out because I saw it mentioned in a blog post on the library’s web site. Apparently in the first book, the Tillerman family make their way to their grandmother’s house after their mother falls ill. "Now that the four abandoned Tillerman children are settled in with their grandmother, Dicey finds that their new beginnings require love, trust, humor, and courage." Dicey is the oldest, and has always been the backbone of the family (apparently her mother was emotionally fragile). In this book, she and her grandmother negotiate their relationship and roles in this new family structure they are creating. She also has to find her place in the school's social structure.

I enjoyed the story. Your heart just aches for Dicey and her siblings at times. They've clearly had a rough life and work hard to have a sense of normalcy. From reviews on goodreads I can see that many women loved this as teens - I suspect I would have as well.

Favorite of childhood, still good submitted by lballard on June 17, 2018, 9:48pm This was one of my favorite books growing up. I reread it as an adult, and unlike so many books, it stood the test of time and maturity. The combination of love, responsibility and hard times is tough to beat. I was also a Tomboy, so Dicey particularly spoke to me. I’d highly recommend it for any Tomboy who likes realistic fiction.