SPYHOLE SECRETS

A sensitive performance by Christina Moore brings this atmospheric novel to life. Devastated by the loss of her father, sixth-grader Hallie Meredith escapes her grief and loneliness by peering through an attic window into the mysterious, troubled lives of another family. Moore perfectly captures Hallie's shifting moods--feigned indifference, hopelessness, indignant rage, the first flickerings of happiness. She switches smoothly among characters, from bossy landlady to precocious 8-year-old boy to distressed mother, and does all of them justice. The grief story and the spy story don't always jell. While this is primarily an exploration of the grieving process, mysterious happenings will hold reader attention through some slow-moving chapters. E.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]