How do you feel Misty, Penny and William are each coping with the challenges of their families? Do you think they understand each other?

How do you feel Misty, Penny and William are each coping with the challenges of their families? Do you think they understand each other?

Misty coped by escaping to her "other world" of voices and nature. Penny seemed to stay within herself and remain isolated, William lived in a home with a mother bringing home a revolving cycle of men and behaving immorally in her home, and probably in public. William had no permanent, positive male to guide him. He also seemed to spend a lot of time with Earl— another bad example. Thus, I think the abuse he subjected Misty to was an extension of his experiences. Part of his coping was the power he had over Misty.

Misty is trying to totally escape. WilliamI do not have a handle on. I know what he did but do not know where his mind was at the time.

Misty is being abused and has no one to confide in and get help. William does not have a stable home life. His mother always bringing home men and the new one wanting them to move in with him. Penny wants to spend time with their other relatives. No these three do not understand each other.

These poor kids made me so sad. The adults in their lives are all deeply flawed and searching for themselves. The adults don't have stable senses of self, healthy mindsets, or healthy relationships. The kids have no models for healthy adult behavior or relationships, nor do they have adults who care enough about them to put them first and truly make sure they are healthy and cared for.

While Misty and Penny, thus far in their lives, seem to have kept to themselves and found a way forward in their unstable home, William becomes an abuser.

There's no way they could understand each other. A ten-year-old can't possibly understand a person who is abusing her. William doesn't understand his victim or her sister. Penny has as much understanding of Misty as she could possibly have, given the fact that she's never really been taught how to care for someone else in a healthy way, but it's incredibly limited. And Misty has a limited understanding of Penny.

I think it's interesting that William thinks he can "fix" his family by using Misty as his magical tool. He doesn't think of Misty as a person, but as a tool.

Misty has special powers, but she uses them to escape her situation at first. Finally she understands that it is her gift that can lead to healing and self-understanding, and she uses it that way. In the end, her gift is part of her life, not all of it.

I think for much of the book, Penny holds herself back from her immediate family in the hopes of escaping. She doesn't want to become attached, because she thinks the only solution is to leave.

I think that Misty's mom also thinks she can use magic to "fix" her life - and until the end, she also stays disconnected from her children, even taking our her anger on them, instead of expressing her anger to her husband or recognizing the choices she has. It's only at the end that she files for divorce, when until then she has been following the preacher's directions for becoming a "helpmate" to her husband.

I felt Misty was a fighter and coped well with the chaos in her life. I loved Misty from the first page on. Penny evolved into a kinder and more understanding sister. She more than Misty seemed to avoid much of the trauma brought on by a dysfunctional family. William to me represented the cycle of abuse.

They definitely don't understand each other. There is no communication between them, which is understandable in abusive situations as well as close-knit areas...no one wants to ruffle any feathers.

Misty has her coping mechanism for her loneliness, which also becomes helpful throughout the abuse. I definitely understand the detachment from reality. Being such a young girl, the fear and shame kept her from telling the truth about the situation. I am glad that she was able to speak up in the end and find some closure.

Penny is a typical pre-teen...detached, rebellious, and searching for a way out. I am an only child, but I feel like sisters often go through that "hate each other" phase. Had Misty been able to tell Penny about the abuse, Penny would have had compassion and been helpful. There was definitely love between the two of them.

William only knows what he knows. His mother seems to be overtly sexual and uses that as a tool to keep a man around. He sees sex as power. Unfortunately, it seems that he didn't even know that what he was doing was wrong.

Each of them copes with extremely dysfunctional families. Misty withdraws and buries her deepest feelings sharing them only with nature and spirits. She is so unhappy and your heart breaks for her. Penny just wants to live elsewhere. William is very troubled by his mother's behavior and seems to take out his aggression on Misty with no feeling of remorse or guilt. All three of them are very sad!