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Aug 19, 2017forbesrachel rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Cammie is the warden's daughter. To many, her home above the local jail is just about the coolest place around. Cammie herself enjoys her home and life, but she also realizes that something is not quite right with her. For one, she desperately wants a mother figure in her life, because her's died in an accident when she was a baby. This tomboyish, headstrong girl is not the type to wait, so she decides to trick the trustee/inmate Eloda into fitting the role. Things don't go as she planned though, and other events don't help. Cammie doesn't realize how much her unresolved issues have affected her. She is lost, and before the summer is out, her need for attention and resolution becomes worse. You really feel for Cammie as her walls come down; because she is so strong it took years for this to happen, so a lot of anger and sadness and frustration at the unanswerable questions were pent up behind them. Like Cammie, we believe that there is no one there for her. Her father is mostly absent, Eloda is aloof, and the others in her life flit in and out. Spinelli wrote the book this way intentionally. The reveal as to why, is a real wake-up call. The Warden's Daughter is a superbly written juvenile book that can pull at your heartstrings. The character of Cammie is emotionally deep, the notion of "imprisonment" is looked at in several different ways, the 50's setting is a novelty, and it keeps you engaged throughout it's slower character-driven plot.