"I dropped like a rock onto the second porch step, a little ways away from my parents, and tried to remember why I had wanted to come here." - Jacqueline Davies

Jacqueline Davies may have convinced me to enjoy historical fiction. Typically, I can't get on board with reading fictionalized accounts of historical times, especially when they're written for YA. I generally find that these stories oversimplify complicated history for the sake of a more comforting story.  However, this novel, Where the Ground Meets the Sky is beautiful, engrossing and full of suspense. The novel follows the story of Hazel, a twelve year old girl whose family uproots from NJ to the middle of the desert in New Mexico for some reason unbeknownst to Hazel. What Hazel does know is that her father is a scientist, her mother is wary of his latest project, and nothing else of his work may be spoke in or outside the home. Hazel suddenly finds herself living on a military base and can't help but wonder what it is that her father is up to that seems so important. Set against the background (foreground? it's clearly relevant!) of WWII, Hazel attempts to uncover what her father's work is and why it seems to be making her mother so anxious. Ultimately, although I think that the mother's mental health issues resulting from the stress of the situation seem a bit too easily wrapped up, this is a great middle grade book for students with an interest in the past and a brave, go get 'em female protagonist.