My Louisiana Sky

Description

After Granny dies, Tiger Ann Parker wants nothing more than to get out of the rural town of Saitter, Louisiana - far away from her mentally disabled mother, her "slow" father who can't read a phone bill, and the classmates who taunt her. So when Aunt Dorie Kay asks Tiger to live with her in Baton Rouge, Tiger can't wait to go. But before she is able to leave, the sudden revelation of a dark family secret prompts Tiger to make a decision that will ultimately change her life. Set in the South in the late 1950's, this tender coming-of-age novel explores a twelve-year old girl's struggle to accept her grandmother's death, her mentally deficient parents, and the changing world around her. It is a story filled with beautiful language, unforgettable characters, and the importance of family and home.

Kimberly Willis Holt is the author of the many award-winning novels for young adults and children, including The Water Seeker, Keeper of the Night, and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, winner of a National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She is also the author of the bestselling Piper Reed series of chapter books, and picture books including Waiting for Gregory and Skinny Brown Dog. Holt was born in Pensacola, Florida, and lived all over the U.S. and the world-from Paris to Norfolk to Guam to New Orleans. She long dreamed of being a writer, but first worked as a radio news director, marketed a water park, and was an interior decorator, among other jobs. She lives in West Texas with her family.

"This lyrical first novel brings fresh perspective to the guilt and anger and caring that surround the mentally disabled. All the characters . . . are drawn with warmth but no patronizing reverence." --Booklist, Starred Review "So honest is Holt's portrayal of Tiger, Momma, Daddy, Granny, and the rest that one wonders if she wrote their story while sitting in a rocker on a Saitter front porch, under the vast promises of a Louisiana Sky." --The Horn Book, Starred Review "An unusually auspicious debut." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review