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341 pp.
| McElderry
| April, 2005
|
TradeISBN 0-689-85248-7$16.95
(4)
4-6
After Essie's father leaves her, her seven-year-old brother, and her pregnant mother, a boy in her class is kidnapped, and Essie sees parallels and differences between her family and his in this novel written in free verse. The repetition can be tedious, but it aptly reflects the circular thoughts of the ten-year-old protagonist, especially after a family friend attempts to molest her.
296 pp.
| McElderry
| September, 2002
|
TradeISBN 0-689-84419-0$$16.95
(3)
4-6
Seventh-grader Kay's Grandma Margie develops breast cancer, the progress of which this novel records compassionately but accurately in short sections of free verse. More than the disease, this book concerns four generations of females--Kay and her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Details of friends, school, church, and life in Florida resonate convincingly.