Dicey's Song

Tillerman Cycle #2

by Cynthia Voigt

Now that the four abandoned Tillerman children are settled in with their grandmother, Dicey finds that their new beginnings require love, trust, humor, and courage.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Coming Of Age, Family

359 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1982

About the author

Cynthia Voigt is an American author of books for young adults dealing with various topics such as adventure, mystery, racism and child abuse.


Awards:
Angus and Sadie: the Sequoyah Book Award (given by readers in Oklahoma), 2008
The Katahdin Award, for lifetime achievement, 2003
The Anne V. Zarrow Award, for lifetime achievement, 2003
The Margaret Edwards Award, for a body of work, 1995
Jackaroo: Rattenfanger-Literatur Preis (ratcatcher prize, awarded by the town of Hamlin in Germany), 1990
Izzy, Willy-Nilly: the Young Reader Award (California), 1990
The Runner: Deutscher Jungenliteraturpreis (German young people's literature prize), 1988
Zilverengriffel (Silver Pen, a Dutch prize), 1988
Come a Stranger: the Judy Lopez Medal (given by readers in California), 1987
A Solitary Blue: a Newbery Honor Book, 1984
The Callender Papers: The Edgar (given by the Mystery Writers of America), 1984
Dicey's Song: the Newbery Medal, 1983

Reviews

[Charlotte May]

"I have the feeling that I know who I am, only I'm not anymore."

3.5 ⭐️

This was a wonderful second installment to the Tillerman Cycle.
When we last left Dicey, James, Maybeth and Sammy - they were beginning new lives, living on their grandmothers farm.

This novel has more focus on the characters themselves, rather than much plot. Which was quite a change from the adventure driven storyline in book 1. It was nonetheless enjoyable, and I loved following the kids as they learned to adjust to life without their mother.

"I'm sorry the world is the way it is and always has been. It's not easy is it? "

Dicey finds it the most difficult out of the family. As her siblings discover who they are and who they want to be, Dicey finds herself lost. If her siblings don't need her like they used to, who is she if she isn't the responsible rock that she has always been for her family?

Lovely book 2 and I am looking forward to continuing the rest of this series.

"Tillerman's have that kind of courage...we have brave spirits."

[Laura]

When I read Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt, I felt like I needed more of the characters because I loved them. That's exactly what I got with the sequel, Dicey's Song. The interactions between the family members are so realistic and filled with love. It's a simple story, but there is so much character growth that develops throughout.

[Cara]

When I was at the library looking at the spine of this book I noticed how well worn and tattered it was,(a sure sign the book has been checked out many times). I began to scratch the back of my head wondering "Do I really want to read this again and run the risk of ruining my image of the book? " I took the plunge anyways and once I started to read again my doubts faded away. This book ALWAYS makes my heart go all fuzzy.

Dicey's song is the sequel to Homecoming (another great read), but I had read this one first and I had no trouble following it. I'm certain must young adult readers would find this book somewhat boring with all these high action books we have now (Don't get me wrong I love reading those too!) Every once in awhile I like reading something that touches what life is all about.

I'm convinced that the Tillerman family is real. When I read this moving story the first time I wanted to be Dicey. You get her and sympathize with her even if she is a little rough around the edges. She cares little about what other people think and strives to do right by her family and herself. Being twelve years old in the book, this is no small feat. She really is wise beyond her years. Every single character is drawn out perfectly. From funny Sammy all the way to tough loving Gram.

I feel the love and the care come from this family through the pages. Voight does all this without using any kind of pretentious language. That's real talent. I have no complaints. Wouldn't change a single word.

My review doesn't even touch the surface of doing it justice.

[Beth]

My friend assures me that Dicey's Song was on several school suggested reading lists and that she read it in ninth grade. Otherwise (well, that and the shiny Newbery medal on the cover), this would have pushed a book off this year's YA/MG book bracket. It's that good.

This is old-school Newbery. This is brilliant. It's warm and empathetic and difficult and real. It's so good that I don't have the words to properly convey my awe. There's this moment, when Dicey's paper is being read aloud and she slowly realizes where that's going, that is one of those perfect reading moments where you're both entirely in the book and fully cognizant of how lucky you are that this exists, that it's been written.

What a cast of characters. What a family. WHAT A BOOK THIS IS. How on EARTH did I miss reading it in high school?

[Cecille]

3.5 stars I'm getting a strong opinion that I couldn't just hand over a newer/modern Newberry Medal winner book to my kids at their age without prereading it. This could have been a good read, if not for the mention of sex, French kiss, bossom, which I thought were better left out.

[Meagan]

Though I eventually devoured every book in this series, this was the first one I read. I loved these books as a kid - I loved that they didn't feel like books for kids at all. They seemed like "real" books - as opposed to, say, Baby Sitters Club. I love what an odd, believable character Dicey is, that she's a tomboy with a mothering instinct who wants to build boats. These books broke my heart again and again (and I did re-read them all several times.) I love the way the entire series is written, with occasional spotlights thrown on supporting characters. Such a rich world, I almost belive I was there.

[Chantal]

What a wonderful second book in this series. This book reads very easily, it is easy to get into the skin of the characters. They are all likeable for their own quirky things. This novel has more focus on the characters themselves, rather than much plot. Yes, it is a sad book at the end, but it also shows what life could be.

[Kim]

This is quite possible my favorite book. I read it first as a kid, and didn't realize quite how much I idolized the title character, Dicey. She was strong, independent, and different from those around her without caring much. Reading the book as an adult, I realize that Dicey was the character I most had wanted to be like as a kid.

Also cool--other books in the Tillerman Cycle, namely Come a Stranger and A Solitary Blue, tell the story from the points of view of two of Dicey's friends. There are a couple of scenes from Dicey's song that are told from Mina's eyes or Jeff's eyes, which make them interesting reading (and great for a lesson on PoV, if you happen to teach language arts in middle school, like I used to).

[John Porter]

A good book that, I suspect, will be a considered slow moving by at least some of its intended audience. Really, it's a book that adults (re: parents) want their children to like as opposed to one they actually will like. Some will get it. Hopefully, others will come back and recognize that the pace is intentional, the plot only suffers from comparison to the (sadly more common) hyperunrealistic stories for teenagers in books and on TV, and that being big and loud aren't always prerequisites--or even desirable elements--for emotional power. A quiet book, for better or worse.

[Alien Bookreader]

I didn’t finish it. Just felt too directionless and the plain writing didn’t pull me in. The plot in the first book, “Homecoming” got me through the plain writing. Kids abandoned in a parking lot by their mother need to find a way to survive on their own. They need to find shelter, scrounge up some money and food, and find long lost relatives. A survival story, with a good basic plot.

This book is the next installment, about children living with their grandmother and starting a new school… and just kind of doing things. Learning piano, helping at the store, doing book reports. Mundane.

The stilted dialogues didn’t help. If I read this book at a much younger age I would probably enjoy it more but I made it half way and didn’t feel like reading more.

[Hayley Shaver]

Holy cow! An almost perfect book, this explores how a girl and her family struggle to belong in a new town and with brand new circumstances. This is a must read.

[Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob)]

Really excellent. If I would have known how good it was going to be, I would have gone ahead and read the first book before reading this one. I'm just working through the Newbery winners and in the interest of getting the list done sometime soon I decided to skip earlier books in series.

Dicey's Song was a contemporary fiction back in the early 80's when it won the Newbery. If you are looking for pop references though, you will not really find them in this book. At the end of the book, the kids are getting ready to try their first pizza. Man, I remember that! Back in the early 80's, there were still people who had never tried pizza. I was something like 7 years old the first time my parents got us a pizza. My mom had tried to make us pizza before that, but, it was just spaghetti sauce with cheese on bread dough. A good attempt, but, this was the age before the internet. They got a pepperoni pizza and I still remember being shocked by how amazing it was.

Anyways, I digress. This book is somewhat about mental illness, Dicey's mom is at a hospital far away in a catatonic state. The first book was apparently about their journey to their grandmother's house after their mom abandoned them. This second book does fill in enough detail where you don't have to read the first one, but, I was left wishing that I had. They are a family of oddball characters, some prone to fighting, some with learning disabilities and a grandmother who is the town's strange character.

Parents will appreciate the 'be yourself' message. There's no romance in the book, but, you are left with the idea that there will be in future books. Dicey is a great character, she's self-sufficient and complex. She both wants alone time but also feels some discomfort when her siblings need her less. She doesn't want friends or connections but, then realizes that she shouldn't hold people at arms length. She learns this from her Grandmother's mistakes with a childhood friend.

I didn't really pick up on anything problematic in this book. Grandma tries to initiate a talk about the 'birds and the bees' and Dicey stops her, tells her what she already knows and says she will ask when she's ready to hear more.

I really liked the home ec class portions. The teacher is a bit of a witch, but, there is one speech in there that is just great. Dicey didn't want to take home ec, she wanted to take mechanical drafting but there wasn't room for her in the class which Dicey knows is partly due to gender bias, boys take drafting and girls take home ec. The teacher makes a point that everyone should learn home ec and she laments that more boys don't take the class because it's information that everyone needs. I really feel that a lot of parents have done their boys a disservice by not insisting on some skill in that area.

A lot of award winning children's books are more fun for adults to read, but, I feel like Dicey's Song would be appealing to children who like an emotional adventure.

[joyce lynn]

now that "Homecoming" got me "stuck" on/in a series, and invested in a couple of characters, i HAD to read this one!

in a way, i'm sorry i did, as it took me down some roads i did NOT need to go down. then again, tho ...

i'm REALLY glad i DID read this. first of all, ya know that saying, "out of the mouth of babes"? well ...

this book falls into that category, sort of. guess you have to change the old adage, tho, to "out of the mouth FOR babes", since the book was originally intended for teens. BUT ...

like the first one, from this book ANYONE can learn something valuable. do you realize that the majority of families are NOT actually "functional", but "dysfunctional", and VERY so?! it's true, i think. that's what i learned from this book. granted, it's a sad fact, but then again ...

it's not. as, since most of us are/were "dysfunctional", it's nice to know that we aren't/weren't alone. ya know, "misery loves company" kind of thing (very "cliche" this morning, aren't i?!), which then means, our (those of us who are/were dysfunctional) lives weren't as bad as we thought. IF that makes any sense??? guess you'd have to be wearing the same "shoes" to understand!!! anyway ...

the "road" it took me down made me cry, and BUCKETS of tears, BUT ...

it was a GOOD and VERY cleansing cry, and i learned some valuable lessons, that HOPEFULLY, i can put into play.

ok, i'm off to steal the 3rd book in the series from that bratty daughter of mine that got me hooked on this blasted thing! 8^)

[Jenny Leiva]

This second book in the series was easier for me to get involved in more quickly, and the shorter page-length benefited the story. I really enjoyed seeing the Tillerman’s getting acquainted with their new home and seeing how Dicey adjusted to her changing role. They are a fun family to read about.

[Fiona Prestemon]

4.25 stars

Continuing on with reading to my grandpa! We had a good time reading this story. I’ll tell you, it’s a bit of a coming of age for Dicey, and she had a few conversations regarding puberty/sex/periods, which was a bit awkward to read aloud to my 90 y/o grandfather. Probably for slightly older children if read by kids. Nice story and continuation of Homecoming.

[Jenny]

I loved Dicey’s resilience and especially loved her relationship with her siblings and her grandmother.

Newbery Medal 1983

[Juushika]

The Tillerman children struggle to settle into their new home. The first book in this series (Homecoming) was, like most books about children surviving on their own, insular and quietly escapist; their reintegration into normal life doesn't have that indulgent tone--but both books hinge on Dicey's ability to know, love, and benevolently manipulate her family members, and that competency and problem-solving is satisfying. There are some clunky conflicts in the middle third between Dicey and authority figures, but the protracted conflict of overcoming trauma to establish bonds of trust is more nuanced and engaging.

Then the book takes a turn in the final third when Dicey's mother dies. I found this ridiculously affecting, and that's partially because of the counterbalance of mundane moments, but honestly it's mostly because I recently lost a parent. And it smack of Newberry-style tragedy: more dramatic to write her out, and narratively easier than writing her in and figuring out how the family would come to terms with her mother's presence. (There's a particularly egregious pair of scenes where Dicey wonders, "Why? How? How could someone die of just being crazy, the kind of sad, faraway craziness that Momma had?" and where James tells her, "It’s better this way, Dicey ... I read about it, at the library. Almost nobody recovers, when they’re as far gone as Momma was." which illustrated how unsubstantiated and dramatized and borderline offensive-as-hell is this character death.) The ending worked for me as much as didn't, but still drags down my final impression of an otherwise compelling, quiet novel with a cogent central theme.

[June]

Another book from my sister-in-law's bookshelf, which I brought along home to finish reading. I kept running into hints that there was backstory I'd missed, and sure enough, realized this is the second book in a series (or...Cycle? Never heard of such a thing; what does it mean?) Of course I ordered the rest, as well as a copy of Dicey's Song for our own shelf.

I enjoyed the relationships in this coming-of-age novel, and the way the characters grow and change. There's Mina, who feels like she's too much for the world, and Dicey, who never feels like she's enough. Gram, who can do whatever she needs to do, whether she knows how to do it or not, and Millie, who needs help every step of the way, but is loyal to the end. School-teachers who misunderstand but are willing to change their minds; others who remain antagonistic.

Of course, as in life itself, there is also music.

[Elsa K]

I would also give this a solid 4.5 stars. I wished it was longer. I loved following Dicey, getting to know Gram better and seeing more of the other siblings too. This book had less action than "Homecoming", but still was just as gripping. I can't wait to read the rest!
Addition:
After finishing the rest of the series, I was disappointed nothing happened with Dicey searching for her Uncle John. I wish this would've happened! They might have cousins they've never met. It would be good for Gram to have closure on this!

[JoLee]

Absolutely as lovely as everyone says.

In Dicey's Song, the Tillerman children are learning to call Chrisfield home. It's a transition that comes with some bumps along the way. I just love the feel of Cynthia Voigt's Tillerman Cycle. The cadence of the writing; the introspection of Dicey. There's a certain nostalgic quality to these books that may be because they remind me of the books I read as a child or it may be that the nostalgia is built in. Perhaps it's both. Cynthia Voigt is so good at mixing sweetness and sorrow. I finished the book feeling all melancholy.

I really love all the characters in this book. Gram continues to be a favorite, but I really enjoyed the new characters that were introduced in this novel too. The characters' voices are so strong. They feel so very authentic. The fact that the book is set on the Eastern Shore doesn't hurt either. I like feeling like I have a personal connection to the series.

[Jennifer Cicchetto]

4.5 Stars
Still holds up today.
Great for Jr High/ High school readers
Has themes of overcoming adversity, conflict resolution, trouble-shooting problems

[Craig]

Listened, re-read after decades. Kind of a classic, old-school Newbery title - almost entirely character-based, not action. So, a bit of a slow start, and not much happens throughout, but you become so deeply involved in the personalities of the family and those they interact with, that it's never boring. And the last 1/3-ish is especially just amazingly great.

[Lars Guthrie]

Like the first in the Tillerman cycle, 'Homecoming,' I revisited 'Dicey's Song' on compact disc. Like 'Homecoming,' that auditory revisiting was perhaps even more gratifying than the completely satisfying initial read. Barbara Caruso is especially impressive as narrator here because the character of Gram is so much more central to the story. Caruso absolutely nails Gram's voice.

You might not have to have read 'Homecoming' to appreciate 'Dicey's Song' but it certainly would help. The first book ends after the Tillerman children, shepherded by their thirteen-year-old oldest sister, the incomparable Dicey, finish their homeless summer odyssey by finding their absent mother's childhood home, run-down and comforting. It's a rambling old farmhouse on Cheasapeake Bay, on a worn-down old farm ruled over by Gram, their acerbic, laconic, and, surprisingly, comforting grandmother.

The journey to the farm unquestionably sets up this recounting of the autumn and winter that follow--the Tillerman children and their grandmother settling in with each other, and with the town and schools of Crisfield, Maryland. It definitely enriched my understanding of Dicey's struggles with home ec and English teachers in her first year of high school.

As in 'Homecoming,' though, Voigt fills in the tale with such rich characterization and sharp observation, that 'Dicey's Song' can stand alone as the intensely resonant novel it is.

If 'Homecoming' is about the Tillerman children's encounters with strangers, 'Dicey's Song' is about the children and their grandmother making deeper connections. As Gram says, 'holding on.' Besides getting to know Dicey, James, Maybeth, Sammy and Gram better, we are introduced to grocer Millie Tydings and piano teacher Isaac Lingerle, adults who surprise the reader with their depth of empathy and understanding, as well as Dicey's musical admirer, Jeff Greene, and her emerging friend, the vibrant Wilhelmina Smiths, who fairly leaps off the pages to grab your attention--and Dicey's.

Especially relevant in this new chapter of the Tillerman children's lives for me, because I help kids in exactly this area, were Maybeth's difficulties with learning how to read. Ten-year-old James's analysis of how Maybeth has been taught and what might be a better course is as incisive a condemnation of whole language, the dominant pedagogy of the novel's 80s timeframe, and insightful an understanding of dyslexia, as I just read in neuroscientist Stanislas Dehaene's 'Reading in the Brain.'

Learning to read is just one of the fascinating thematic threads that Voigt weaves into her sumptuous story. It's an absolutely wonderful book for children and adults that starts with a story that just ended and ends with a story that is just beginning.

Highly recommended for sixth graders and up.

[Shannon]

1983 Newbery Medal Winner. This was a truly beautiful novel and a very deserving winner of the Newbery Medal in 1983. Cynthia Voigt’s gift with words and storytelling is apparent in every page of Dicey’s Song. Her language is gorgeous and heartfelt and there is something so wonderfully unsentimental about her books. She is never saccharine or trite. Her books are real, raw and even hard at times, and they are populated with incredibly rich, whole characters.

This sequel to Homecoming follows Dicey and her family into the school year after they have decided to stay with Gram in Maryland. Cynthia Voigt called this a more internal novel than Homecoming and that’s right. The momentum of the plot is not driven much by external forces (apart from the very end). Instead, we are allowed to exist within Dicey’s head as she navigates this new status quo and figures out what to do with herself now that her siblings do not literally need her to survive. She learns three lessons here–hold on to those you love, reach out to other people and let go. New characters are introduced and I instantly loved Dicey’s new friends Mina and Jeff (both of whom will get books of their own later in this series).

There were scenes that made me feel warm and loved, like being back in my own mother’s kitchen (Thanksgiving, as well as Jeff coming over to play music with Maybeth). The final third sees Gram and Dicey travel up to visit the kids’ dying Momma and it was an exquisite piece of writing–a deep portrayal of grief and loss, with nothing maudlin in it at all. The scene in which Dicey comforts herself by going to shop for Christmas presents for her family was so subtle and loving. That’s what it is about these Tillerman books. They are incredibly subtle. Dicey is an amazingly strong and complex character, but her characterization is brought to life so quietly. Voigt trusted her readers in ways that I don’t see a lot in modern children’s fiction. This is simply a cut above.

[Sarah King]

I don’t really even know how to write a review for this book. It’s one of the most beautifully written novels I’ve ever read, both YA and adult fiction. I love how the author is able to write such complex and complicated relationships between the characters and within the characters themselves (which is brilliantly foreshadowed in the essay assignment Dicey writes in English class). While the Tillermans don’t have easy lives, and each is dealing with internal and external conflict, they are fiercely connected. As Gram says, you can’t reach out with a closed fist, and the whole book is the gradual loosening of clenched fingers and strained relationships. It’s a beautiful story about how fiercely independent people can come together to be a fiercely loving family.

[Zoe]

Heart-wrenching and beautiful. An elementary school teacher read Homecoming aloud to my class, and it's a book that has stayed with me for thirty years, yet for some reason I never read any other books by Cynthia Voigt. Now, picking up the story of Dicey, her siblings, and their grandmother, I'm struck by how deeply I wanted the characters to find happiness. As you read, you just wish you could help Dicey open herself up to the people who want to befriend her. Every time she resists, you wish you could explain to her what she's missing. It's ultimately satisfying to see her growth, while knowing that the road ahead of her will remain difficult.

[Jennifer Winters]

I loved this book. It made me cry. I love this family. Although they are all flawed and in most people’s eyes don’t have the ideal family arrangement I think they are rich. Because they all love each other. Every one of them knows that the other will always be there for them no matter what. I lived with my grandparents for a time and so that aspect has a special place in my heart too. We can learn so much from each other if we allow ourselves. When you allow yourself to be vulnerable to others that’s when the love can come in. I didn’t want to stop listening to this one. Very well written.

[Falina]

I re-read Dicey's Song a few days ago. I've read it a few times and I've always loved it, but I'm struggling to write a review because I find it hard to put into words just WHY it is wonderful. The beauty and humanity of the struggles of all the characters, maybe. Voigt has my favourite author quality -- that mysterious and brilliant ability to capture complicated things with simple writing. This book has so many layers and it is beautiful and enjoyable on every one.

[Wendy]

Great book, maybe a little too long. The story could have been really pathetic and sorry-for-itself, but it wasn't like that at all. I do want to read the others in the series now--I didn't realize there were so many; I'd only heard of the first three. But WHAT a dreadful cover--looks like it belongs to exactly the kind of book this isn't (the pathetic-and-sorry one).

[SC]

I really tried to like this book. I forced myself to trudge through each banal page. I cut and ran after 50 of them. I know this book won a Newberry, but I guess it was the 80s and there wasn't a whole lot of quality children's literature to nominate.