Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
"When a new TV set arrives in the Palmer household in Newport News, Virginia, in 1954, change is in the wind. Eleven-year-old Cassie has a secret. Only she can see moments from the future within the hypnotic test pattern: snippets from President Kennedy's assassination, the Beatles' debut, man's landing on the moon, the O. J. Simpson trial. Meanwhile, inspired by the popular entertainers television has brought into their home, Cassie's starstruck mother, Lorena, decides to pursue her dream of becoming famous as a tap dancer.". "Lorena soon plunges into an affair with an old flame whose cousin happens to be a talent scout for Arthur Godfrey and risks her marriage to Cassie's father, a depressed, accident-prone shipyard worker. As Lorena learns that the path to fame and fortune is strewn with obstacles, Cassie's own eyes are being opened to the world outside of provincial Newport News - and to the even richer world within herself."--BOOK JACKET.
Is Test pattern appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
This historical fantasy features an 11-year-old with precognitive visions through a TV test pattern and explores family tensions including parental infidelity and a father's depression. The mature themes are handled gently but realistically.
What to know going in
This book has no graphic violence, mild sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include cheating and depression.
Who'll love this
Readers will be drawn to Cassie's magical ability to see future history through her TV and her journey of self-discovery in 1950s America.