A CLEAR SPRING
Published under the name Barbara Wilson
The Feminist Press, 2001
ISBN-10: 155861277
ISBN-13: 978-1558612778

From the heat of Chicago, Willa C. Lopez is heading to green, lush Seattle to spend the summer with her aunt Ceci, her aunt's partner Janie, and their multicultural, extended family. While there, precocious Willa and her curious cousin Tabby discover someone or something is polluting a local watershed. What follows is a take on new friendships, new discoverie,s and more adventure than they bargained for.

From Booklist:
Gr. 4-6. Wilson is best known for her adult mysteries starring lesbian sleuths and for her searing memoir, Blue Windows (1997). Her first offering for young readers combines a detective story with a girl's pivotal summer. Eleven-year-old Willa is nervous about leaving her mother and Chicago behind for a summer in Seattle with her aunts, Carmen and Ceci. But she adapts quickly to her new environment, especially after she follows Janie, Aunt Ceci's lesbian partner, to work at a nature center. Aunt Carmen's kids embrace Willa, and through their joint detective work, they nab the polluter of a salmon creek. The overtly didactic text is likely to bog down a few readers, and the characters often seem to speak in the same voice—earnest, intelligent, and liberal. But Wilson convincingly portrays Willa's excitement as she develops a passionate interest in nature, and the "eco-sleuthing" will attract mystery fans. Children looking for books showing nontraditional families will find a range of families here, including gay couples, interracial marriages, and single parents.