Panama

November 30, 2009
At 15, the unnamed narrator of Hiatt's first novel hungers for a dramatic change from her dull existence in Dayton, Ohio, early in the 20th century. Inspired by her neighborsâthe Wright brothersâshe declares, "I am resolved above all else to be less sensible." When her father is offered a job with the Canal Commission during the dredging of the Panama Canal, she believes her moment has arrived ("The fantasy is out there. I'll find it"). Searching for adventure beyond the Zone (a replica of an American town), she goes on night hikes with a policeman and later meets Federico, an enchanting Spanish worker, with whom she begins a passionate affair (years have passed by this point, and she's now 17). He teaches her about corruption in Madrid, she brings him books that they discuss, and their romance soon turns steamy. The question of whether their relationshipâand the canalâwill be able to withstand forces of nature that range from illness to floods makes for gripping reading. Hiatt's writing is understated yet seductive in this alluring coming-of-age story. Ages 14âup.

December 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Despite its promising settingPanama at the dawn of the 20th century, during the construction and opening of the historic canalthis first novel is unexceptional. The teenage protagonist (who, inexplicably, remains nameless) moves with her straight-laced parents from Dayton, OH, to the Zone, where they live with the families of other workers in a tropical replica of American society. The lush, sultry atmosphere, coupled with her desire for excitement, leads the girl into uncharted territory: lust, intimacy, and sex with a Spanish canal laborer. Federico represents everything her family is not: passionate, rebellious, socialist. Their secret affair takes up most of the book, until it fizzles out somewhat anticlimactically with the completion of the project and the girl's subsequent move back to the U.S. Discussions of social inequity, in the context of the canal's impact on the indigenous people of Panama and treatment of the international laborers, push the protagonist toward a less-sheltered worldview in something resembling character development and give readers something to think about. However, these moments are ultimately eclipsed by the doomed and somewhat drawn-out romance. The first-person narrative provides glimpses into the girl's feelings and frustrations, but not enough to make teens feel truly invested."Emma Burkhart, Springside School, Philadelphia, PA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
Grades 10-1 The building of the Panama Canal is the setting and subject of this first novel, told in the immediate present-tense voice of a smart, unnamed, 15-year-old teen, who moves from Ohio with her family in 1910 and spends three years in the Canal Zone, where her engineer father gets a big job. She secretly has sex with handsome Federico, an upper-class political activist from Spain, and the steamy scenes will appeal to readers who want a break from the engineering and historical detail. The plot has some awkward contrivances (the narrators Ohio neighbors happen to be the Wright brothers, for example), but the political and technological facts add layers to the exciting drama. Federico shows the narrator the contrast between her privileged lifestyle in the American Zone and that of the indigenous people who were displaced to make way for progress, and she also witnesses the harsh labor of the international pick-and-shovel gangs, made up of 40,000 workers who speak 45 different languages. Both the romance and questions of social justice will grab teens.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
Bored in Ohio, the story's protagonist joins her parents in Panama, where her father leads the American effort to dig the canal. Privileged, she's separated from danger; however, she soon finds love in the trenches with Federico, an older, politically minded Spaniard who challenges her comfort zone. This passionate coming-of-age story explores social hierarchy, politics, and sexuality.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)