Holeman has made the self-observation that she leaves her grown-up world behind and travels back decades when she writes for young adults.

Her writing is suffused with sensory images. She pays attention to details and likes to create atmosphere, and surround people by atmosphere. Consequently, when Poppy goes for a walk in the neighborhood, Holeman does not simply report that Poppy took a walk. Instead, Holeman recreates the experience in sensory terms: The midday sun was hot, and I had to keep dodging to avoid sudden encounters with swinging worms. . . . That's when I realized that what I was hearing was the rhythmic chewing of the cankerworms as they ate their way through the leaves. I noticed that a lot of leaves were no more than tattered rags fluttering forlornly in the hot breeze.

Holeman's particular interest in smells finds expression in the novel, especially as they...