New York City in the 1960s is the humming backdrop for this poignant, gritty story about a girl who sees her parents as flawed human beings for the first time, and finds the courage to make a fresh start.
Missy’s mother has gone back to school to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. Missy’s father works in advertising and takes Missy on secret midnight excursions to Harlem and the Village so she can share his love of jazz. The two write poems for each other — poems that gradually become an exchange of apologies as Missy’s father’s alcohol and drug addiction begins to take over their lives.
When Missy’s mother finally decides that she and her daughter must make a fresh start, Missy has to leave her old apartment, her school, her best friend and her cats and become a latchkey kid while her mother gets a job. But she won’t give up on trying to save her family, even though this will involve a hard journey from innocence to action, and finally acceptance.
Based on the events and people of her own childhood, Amanda Lewis’s gorgeous novel is driven by Missy’s irresistible, optimistic voice, buoyed by the undercurrents of poetry and music.
Key Text Features
poems
dialogue
literary references
epigraph
vignettes
New York City in the 1960s is the humming backdrop for this poignant, gritty story about a girl who sees her parents as flawed human beings for the first time, and finds the courage to make a fresh start.
Missy’s mother has gone back to school to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. Missy’s father works in advertising and takes Missy on secret midnight excursions to Harlem and the Village so she can share his love of jazz. The two write poems for each other — poems that gradually become an exchange of apologies as Missy’s father’s alcohol and drug addiction begins to take over their lives.
When Missy’s mother finally decides that she and her daughter must make a fresh start, Missy has to leave her old apartment, her school, her best friend and her cats and become a latchkey kid while her mother gets a job. But she won’t give up on trying to save her family, even though this will involve a hard journey from innocence to action, and finally acceptance.
Based on the events and people of her own childhood, Amanda Lewis’s gorgeous novel is driven by Missy’s irresistible, optimistic voice, buoyed by the undercurrents of poetry and music.
Key Text Features
poems
dialogue
literary references
epigraph
vignettes
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Apr 1, 2022 |
| Specifications | 216 pages | 5 in x 7.5 in |
| Keywords | family history; coney island; central park; the true history of lyndie b. hawkins; the greats; life in the balance; deborah ellis; musicians; john coltrane; louis armstrong; charles mingus; ella fitzgerald; books set in new york; charming as a verb; urban city life; the goat; anne fleming; |
| Written By |
AMANDA WEST LEWIS is the author of nine books for young readers, including two about Miranda Billie Taylor, These Are Not the Words and Focus. Click. Wind. Her books have been nominated for the Silver Birch Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Violet Downey IODE Award, the Snow Willow Award and others. She is a writer, theater creator, calligrapher, teaching artist and founder of the Ottawa Children’s Theatre. Amanda has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Born in New York City, Amanda now lives in Brooke Valley, Ontario, with her husband, writer Tim Wynne-Jones. |
| Written By |
|
AMANDA WEST LEWIS is the author of nine books for young readers, including two about Miranda Billie Taylor, These Are Not the Words and Focus. Click. Wind. Her books have been nominated for the Silver Birch Award, the Red Cedar Award, the Violet Downey IODE Award, the Snow Willow Award and others. She is a writer, theater creator, calligrapher, teaching artist and founder of the Ottawa Children’s Theatre. Amanda has an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Born in New York City, Amanda now lives in Brooke Valley, Ontario, with her husband, writer Tim Wynne-Jones. |
| Audience | ages 9 to 12 / grades 4 to 7 |
| Key Text Features | poems; dialogue; literary references; epigraph; vignettes |
Powerful, simultaneously simple and complex.
” —CM: Canadian Review of MaterialsThis title would be a great addition to a middle or high school library.
” —School Library Connection[Missy's] resilience and resourcefulness ... make her a character to remember and admire.
” —Historical Novel SocietyI couldn't resist reading it straight through. I just loved it. Truly, a stunning story.
” —Kathi Appelt, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery HonoreeA poetic punch to the gut. You won't be able to stop reading.
” —Martha Brockenbrough, author of 'Into the Bloodred Woods' and 'The Game of Love and Death'A splendid, genuine, and beautifully told story, written with authority and an ear for music and truth.
” —Louise Hawes, author of 'Big Rig' and 'Language of Stars'Missy's sweet and hurting heart nearly broke me ... A masterpiece.
” —J. Albert Mann, author of 'Fix' and 'The Degenerates'A truly moving story ... Not simply a memoir, but a page-turner, an historical reflection, and a poem, all in one.
” —Marthe Jocelyn, author of the Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen seriesI am in awe of this complicated family love story, in awe of its ability to throw us into the vortex and yet exercise restraint.
” —Rita Williams-Garcia, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author