The Land of Decoration

The Land of Decoration (2012) by Grace McCleen. The Land of Decoration is a place in young Judith's bedroom, an imaginary land made up of scraps of rubbish which Judith picks up everywhere. Judith, who is bullied at school, comes to believe that she can create miracles by making changes to the Land of Decoration. But her grim, fundamentalist Father does not look kindly on her efforts to escape from their straight-laced existence. He is so grief-stricken by the death of his wife (Judith's mother) that he has trouble functioning as a father at all. Judith believes that he does not love her, and she catalogs the reasons why. This is a sad, yet ultimately uplifting novel that can grab the reader by the heartstrings and not let go. I liked it. Grade: A-