Kindred Souls
Jake enjoys his daily walk around the family farm with Billy, his grandfather and &#x201C;kindred soul.&#x201D; As they stop by the mud-and-prairie-grass remnants of the soddy where Billy was born, he often remarks, &#x201C;I loved that sod house.&#x201D; One day he says, &#x201C;I miss that sod house,&#x201D; and finally, after Jake asks an idle question about cutting sod for bricks, Billy declares, &#x201C;You can build me a sod house.&#x201D; When Billy falls ill and is hospitalized, Jake overcomes his strong reluctance to build a soddy. His family pitches in and readies the little building for Billy&#x2019;s return. The more Jake remarks that 88-year-old Billy &#x201C;will live forever,&#x201D; the more astute readers can be that the end is near. Printed in large type with wide-spaced lines, the first-person story, with its short sentences and nuanced observations, focuses primarily on Billy&#x2019;s preparations for death, as told from Jake&#x2019;s point of view. Though its subject may limit its appeal, MacLachlan writes with clarity of purpose. Grades 3-5. --Carolyn Phelan