Synopses & Reviews
Haleys excited about turning 13, but her teenage years start off with a thud when, shortly after her birthday, her mother checks herself into the hospital for severe depression. Her older brother, Otis, is busy with his job, and Haley tries to keep her mind off the family problems with her own job, helping a music teacher clean up his backyard garden. As Haleys family life becomes more and unstable, its her work and her growing friendship with her employer that sustain her. When Otis gets arrested for selling stolen goods and a social worker takes Haley into a group home, its her employer she turns to to help her pick up the pieces.
About the Author
Sharon Dennis Wyeth drew on her memories as a family counselor on New York Citys Lower East Side while writing A Piece of Heaven. She is also the author of Something Beautiful.
Author Q&A
author fun factsBorn: April 19 in Washington, D.C.
Education: Radcliffe College--Harvard University
Currently lives: Upper Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband Sims and daughter Georgia, 12
Previous jobs: Family counselor, actress, voice teacher, and television writer
Pets: Roscoe, a chocolate brown, fluffy, large poodle!
Favorite hobbies: hiking, cooking, reading, gardening, singing, dancing
Favorite foods: pasta, hot chocolate, corn on the cob
Favorite clothes to wear: long dresses, big hats, sundresses, and huge earrings!
Favorite colors: blue, brown, and red
Favorite books: books by Toni Morrison, Jane Austen, Walter Dean Myers, and Mary Pope Osborne (also fairy tales and picture books!)
Inspiration for writing: Remembrances of my childhood; watching my daughter grow up; my husband (who is also a friend); the young people I meet in my travels -- they are curious, capable, and filled with wonder! Books I read and all the great people who share my interests: educators, librarians, people in publishing, friends who are also writers. My desire to share what I have learned and to pass on something beautiful.