My Louisiana Sky [Paperback]

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 an electric bill, and her classmates who taunt her. So when Aunt Dorie Kay asks Tiger to sp the summer with her in Baton Rouge, Tiger can't wait to go. But before she leaves, 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 1950s, this 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 novel filled with beautiful language and unforgettable characters, and the importance of family and home.

My Louisiana Skyis a 1998 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction.

My Louisiana Skyis a 1998 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction.

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

Kimberly Willis Holtis the author of the many award-winning novels for young adults and children, includingThe Water Seeker, Keeper of the Night, andWhen 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 includingWaiting for GregoryandSkinny Brown Dog. Holt was bló,