Rain reign, by Ann M. Martin

I’m always on the lookout for new books for my soon-to-be-nine-years-old grandson, an avid reader.  This was highly recommended in the NYT but although it is rated for ages 10 and up I won’t be sending it to him anytime soon.  It is a very good book, but so sad.  Rose, the fifth grader who voices the story, is an intelligent girl on the autism spectrum.  Her obsession with homonyms and prime numbers, and the lack of social awareness typical of such children, have made her life even more difficult that it already would have been.  Her mother left the family when she was very young and her father spends his time at an intermittent job at a local garage when not hanging out at the Luck of the Irish bar.  His short temper makes it difficult for him to be patient with his daughter or show her much affection.  Luckily, his brother Weldon lives nearby and is a more stabilizing influence in Rose’s life.  One late fall night, Rose’s father shows up with a young dog he has found lost and without a collar.  Rose names her “Rain” since she was found in the rain and the word has two homonyms, rein and reign.  Rain becomes a loving presence in Rose’s lonely life and helps her become a bit more accepted by her classmates.  The next fall a hurricane hits the area and Rain is lost in the storm.  How Rose searches for her and what she finds out will have the most hard-hearted reader sniffling through the last few chapters.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you…..  The book provides insight into the inner world of individuals like Rose.  226 pp.