Goodin handles these weighty topics with care and delicacy, evoking the terror surrounding the unknowns of a disease without a viable vaccine but also the community’s unwavering spirit as they unite to support the hospital’s work. Fifteen-year-old Megan McGuire is one of the newest patients attending the school, but she’s not the worst off: Rachel Hall, just five years old, is critically infected and unable to breathe on her own without an iron lung, but the hospital has none to spare. Enter cab driver Ben Wilson, a second World War veteran suffering from flashbacks but with a heart of gold, who pools his resources—along with the help of his boss, Gino Ruganni, co-workers, and even some local waitresses—to purchase a new iron lung to save Rachel’s life.
Of course, Ben and company run into last-minute trouble on their heroic mission, but the story still builds toward a heartening ending. Along the way Goodin offers poignant coming-of-age moments for a local reporter interviewing Virginia, as well as insight into the era’s political undercurrents (some of which eerily mimic contemporary politics). Christmas comes early for the hospital, and Virginia’s words of wisdom ring true: “Take care of yourself, and help others along the way.”
Takeaway: Touching story of a town delivering a Christmas miracle during 1952’s polio epidemic.
Comparable Titles: Christina Baker Kline’s A Piece of the World, Kim Delmar Cory’s What About Lilly?.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A
