Keep Smiling Through
Ann Rinaldi’s Keep Smiling Though follows the adventures of ten-year-old Kay Hennings as she goes about daily life in her little corner of New Jersey during World War II. While facing emotional hardships imposed by her step-mother, Kay struggles with popular rumors and unpopular truths, and learns that doing the right thing sometimes requires great courage. Keep Smiling Though is fairly typical of a young adult book. What sets it apart from others is the author’s use of the radio programs of the day: Kay’s brothers use the familiar programs and their characters to explain things to Kay. The references made me smile, and I hope they make young readers smile, too. (Ages 9-12)
