Blue Skies - by Anne Bustard

About the Book

France sends the Merci Train to the United States to thank America for helping France during and after WWII, and one of the train stops will be the small town of Gladiola, Texas, where ten-year-old Glory Bea hopes for the greatest miracle--that her missing-in-action father will be on the train.

Book Synopsis

For fans of Kate DiCamillo's Louisiana's Way Home, this heartwarming novel tells the story of ten-year-old Glory Bea as she prepares for a miracle of her very own--her father's return home.

Glory Bea Bennett knows that miracles happen in Gladiola, Texas, population 3,421. After all, her grandmother--the best matchmaker in the whole county--is responsible for thirty-nine of them.

Now, Glory Bea needs a miracle of her own.

The war ended three years ago, but Glory Bea's father never returned home from the front in France. Glory Bea understands what Mama and Grams and Grandpa say--that Daddy died a hero on Omaha Beach--yet deep down in her heart, she believes Daddy is still out there.

When the Gladiola Gazette reports that one of the boxcars from the Merci Train (the "thank you" train)--a train filled with gifts of gratitude from the people of France--will be stopping in Gladiola, she just knows daddy will be its surprise cargo.

But miracles, like people, are always changing, until at last they find their way home.

Review Quotes

"Bustard captures a patriotic spirit in post-WWII America in this novel inspired by the real-life Merci Train...it offers well-researched details about the era and themes relatable to a modern audience. A subplot regarding Glory Bea's playing matchmaker for her two best friends adds humor and interest, highlighting the protagonist's determined attitude."--Publishers Weekly

"Glory Bea's first-person narrative, interwoven with historical details, offers an intimate account of grief and longing, tempered somewhat by lighter moments...Readers will find Glory Bea, and her process of moving forward through loss, sympathetically drawn."--Booklist

"While this title takes place in the late 40s, the themes of loneliness, longing, and waiting for a loved one to return are universal. Readers who know a soldier affiliated with contemporary combat zones may especially empathize."--School Library Connection

"A tender story of grief and the gentle comfort of loved ones."--Kirkus Reviews

"Readers are sure to fall in love with the delightful and inventive Glory Bea, and with the entire cast of this wonderful story. I loved Blue Skies so much I couldn't bear for it to end!"--Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor author of Lily's Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods

About the Author

Anne S. Bustard is the former co-owner of Toad Hall Children's Bookstore and an MFA graduate from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of the middle grade novels Anywhere But Paradise, Blue Skies, and Far Out!, as well as two picture books: Rad! and Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly, which was an IRA Children's Book Award Notable and a Bank Street Book of the Year.