Lands End

by Mary Stolz

A twelve-year-old boy whose parents are always criticizing him finds acceptance with a widower and his children

212 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 1973

About the author

Mary Stolz was a noted author for children and adolescents whose novels earned critical praise for the seriousness with which they took the problems of young people. Two of her books ''Belling the Tiger'' (1961) and ''The Noonday Friends'' (1965), were named Newbery Honor books by the ALA but it was her novels for young adults that combined romance with realistic situations that won devotion from her fans. Young men often created more problems and did not always provide happy ever after endings. Her heroines had to cope with complex situations and learn how to take action whether it was working as nurses (The Organdy Cupcakes), living in a housing project (Ready or Not), or escaping from being a social misfit by working for the summer as a waitress (The Sea Gulls Woke Me).

Reviews

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A summer book, set in the Gulf Coast Keys of Florida (where Stolz lived toward the end of her life). The book's protagonist is Josh Redmond, age 12, the only child of bright but somewhat distant parents. In the course of the book, we meet the Arthur family, new to the area and very different from the Redmonds. There is a lot about families, about individuals, about how they interact.

I suppose this takes place in the early 1970s, when it was published. Apart from some references (such as telephone outages), it might be more recent. Apparently the Redmonds do have a TV, although the father has strong negative views about much of its content. Josh seems to prefer being outside, watching birds and riding his bicycle. He also has a running project of reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The book is YA, in that good older sense of the term, with introspection and ambiguity and growing maturity, but free from romance (and more), and political ideologies (not to mention dystopian vampires). Several of the characters might get diagnosed and labeled nowadays, but here they are refreshingly just treated as people. There are the briefest references to feminism and racism, but without overbearing lectures inserted to ensure that the reader is duly indoctrinated into the "right" viewpoint. Amazingly(!), the subtlety actually works. We also get some very believable lectures by Josh's parents on a variety of things, mostly related to manners. Josh's reactions are equally believable.

Drawings by Dennis Hermanson are just chapter heads (plus the glorious color cover), but they are evocative.

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realistic Modern Fiction. Ages 10-12. Twelve-year-old Josh Redmond is a great sailor, fisherman, clammer, and loves his seaside home. This is the dramatic story of how he changes many of his attitudes and actions one eventful summer.
An excellent story in other ways, this book has several instances of swearing. It is, however, an excellent story of a young man's maturing.