Review Detail

When her mother passes away from cancer, middle-schooler Wavie B. Conley finds herself under the care of Samantha Rose, the cruel aunt she’s never met. She shows up at the burial wearing leopard skin saying she will take care of Wavie now. She wants to take care of Wavie’s government checks.

Samantha Rose and Wavie’s extended family are crude, verbally abusive slobs, living in a run-down filthy house in the Kentucky neighborhood of Conley Holler. This is exactly the opposite of the quiet life Wavie enjoyed with her mother. She longs for her former trailer park home.

Wavie soon realizes Samantha Rose has taken her in for the sole purpose of frivolously spending Wavie’s mother’s social security checks. Wavie knows she can’t live her next 7 years in what the locals call Convict Holler. Kind, sweet Wavie soon makes new friends; the rough-and-tumble Gilbert and the super-student Camille. Miraculously, Wavie uncovers a secret her mother kept from her...one that might rescue her from Samantha Rose’s and her cruel ways.

To me this is a masterpiece of middle grade fiction. Author Lisa Lewis Tyre has captured life in rural America while blending in modern elements, such as cell phones, Wal-Mart, and the Internet. Wavie is upbeat and sincerely optimistic which carries her through the dark mysteries surrounding Conley Holler. Her close friendships with Gilbert and Camille help her survive the nastiness of Samantha Rose. I think as you hold your breath through the court scene, you’ll find book’s conclusion to be both satisfying and hopeful.

This is well-written prose, with colorful characters that linger long after the novel closes. This is a must-purchase for any middle grade library.