Dicey's Song facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Cynthia Voigt |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Tillerman Series |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Atheneum Books |
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Publication date
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October 1982 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 196 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-689-30944-9 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 8220792 |
| LC Class | PZ7.V874 Di 1982 |
| Preceded by | Homecoming |
| Followed by | A Solitary Blue |
Dicey's Song is a novel written by Cynthia Voigt. It won the famous Newbery Medal in 1983. This award is given for excellent American children's literature.
Plot
This story continues right after the book Homecoming. Dicey Tillerman and her three younger siblings, Sammy, Maybeth, and James, are now living with their grandmother. Her name is Abigail Tillerman, but the kids call her Gram. They live on her farm near Crisfield, Maryland.
Their mom had left them in a parking lot in Provincetown. Now, the children have a chance to start a new life in their new home. But some big problems from Homecoming are still there. Dicey finds it hard to let Gram take over as the parent. She also worries about her mother, Liza, who is very ill and unable to communicate in a hospital in Boston.
At their new school, the Tillermans meet new friends. Mr. Lingerle is the music teacher. He starts giving Maybeth piano lessons. Mina is a kind girl who goes to school with Dicey. Jeff is a high school student who loves to play the guitar. To help Gram with money, Dicey gets a job. She works for Millie Tydings at the local grocery store. Millie has known Gram since they were kids.
Gram soon agrees to accept Social Security payments. These payments help with the costs of raising her four grandchildren. She also has to think about her own past. This includes her relationship with her late husband and her three children. Gram doesn't want to talk about her past with the kids. When they try to find out by going into the attic, she gets angry.
The children get used to their new school and after-school jobs. Gram starts getting letters from the hospital in Boston. Their mother, Liza, is still there. The letters don't seem to bring good news. But Gram doesn't tell the children what they say. Dicey is upset that Gram won't talk about her past. She also won't talk about their mother's childhood in the same house. Dicey is also frustrated that Gram won't say more about the letters. She only says that their mother is not getting better.
In December, the hospital in Boston calls Gram. They tell her that Liza's condition became very serious. She might not live much longer. Dicey and Gram travel to Boston. They find Liza still unable to communicate. She is not responding to any treatment. Liza soon passed away. Since they couldn't afford a funeral or to bring Liza's body back home, Gram and Dicey decided to have her cremated. The owner of a local gift store gives Dicey a hand-carved wooden box. He was touched by her situation.
When Dicey and Gram return to Crisfield, the family buries the wooden box. It holds their mother's ashes. They bury it under the paper mulberry tree in their front yard. This tree is special to the Tillermans. It represents their family because it is fragile and beautiful.
Other books in the Tillerman Cycle
- Homecoming (A Newbery Honor Book)
- A Solitary Blue (A Newbery Honor Book)
- The Runner
- Sons from Afar
- Come a Stranger
- Seventeen Against the Dealer
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by A Visit to William Blake's Inn |
Newbery Medal recipient 1983 |
Succeeded by Dear Mr. Henshaw |
