by Ruth White
Gypsy does not know her cousin Wodrow very well, but that changes when he moves in next door to live with their shared grandparents. He's cross eyed and has coke bottle glasses. And those coveralls are their own disaster. Gypsy is determined to know what Wodrow knows about his mother's disappearance. As she gets to know him, she laughs at his mischief and at herself for joining in. As they become close, they prove to the world that he is more than just "Belle Prater's Boy" and she has courage and a fire all her own.
Gypsy does not know her cousin Wodrow very well, but that changes when he moves in next door to live with their shared grandparents. He's cross eyed and has coke bottle glasses. And those coveralls are their own disaster. Gypsy is determined to know what Wodrow knows about his mother's disappearance. As she gets to know him, she laughs at his mischief and at herself for joining in. As they become close, they prove to the world that he is more than just "Belle Prater's Boy" and she has courage and a fire all her own.What I Love About This Book
Whenever I've had my heart broken, and I mean really broken, I pull this book off the shelf and gather courage and perspective from it's pages. I love the way heavy topics are handled. It's not avoided, and the book does not pretend that real pain can be "made better" with just a little understanding. When the book ends the children are not necessarily healed, but they are at peace. As serious as this book gets, there are plenty of childhood antics that keep me in stitches. The voices of the characters, as well as their coping strategies ring true to me as a teacher of children that age.
Cautions: SPOILERS
1) The book is about Gypsy coming to terms with her father's suicide
2) It's also about Wodrow coming to terms with his mother's abandonment
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