Jerry Spinelli's newest book, The Warden's Daughter, reminds me of some of his other books in that it takes on topics that others might shy away from. Cammie is the daughter of the prison warden. They live on the prison premises in the late 1950s, and Cammie is used to having conversations with the guards and even the women prisoners who she occasionally chats with in the women's exercise yard. What Cammie misses is her mother. Cammie's mother was killed when she was struck by a milk truck when Cammie was only a baby. The book is about the summer prior to Cammie's first year of Junior High when she has to come to terms with the loneliness and anger over losing her mother that she doesn't even really understand. Spinelli weaves in several other storylines-- Cammie's best friend's appearance on "American Bandstand", Sputnik, and a capital punishment case in the prison. These definitely add to the mood and tone of the time period and the place where this takes place, and Spinelli really doesn't pull any punches in deference to his audience. This book is well-written, and will leave you thinking, but it is probably best reserved for readers in 5th grade and up, and even then, will require some discussion to address some tough themes.