Blue Skies
World War II ended more than three years ago, but 10-year-old Glory Bea Bennett’s father still hasn’t come home from the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach. Now the French people are sending a Merci train with gifts for all 48 states (plus DC and Hawaii) to thank the Americans for their war effort and money to rebuild afterward. The train is scheduled to pass through Glory Bea’s small town of Gladiola, Texas, on Valentine’s Day, 1949, and she knows Daddy will be on it. In the meantime, Daddy’s platoon-mate Randall Horton has moved to Texas from New York City and is spending too much time with Mama. And Glory Bea’s best friend Ruby Jane wants her to play matchmaker with neighbor Ben Truman, since Grams is the town matchmaker, but Glory Bea seems to lack her grandmother’s magic. As the date of the train’s arrival nears, Glory Bea tries ever harder to hold on to her past and her dreams of seeing her father again, even though everyone else wants to move on.
The greatest strength of Bustard’s middle-grade novel is its protagonist, whose longing to see her father again is tangible and true. The novel captures life in this small Texas town where everyone knows everyone else and newcomers are welcomed with characteristic charm (as well as a lesson on how to pronounce “pecan”). Seeking to avoid conflict, they indulge Glory Bea in her fantasy, making the ending all the more poignant. Back matter explores the origins of the Merci (Gratitude) Train and the challenges of soldiers like Ben’s father, who experienced PTSD after the war.
