Synopses & Reviews
“What else would you wish for?” Daddy says. “If you could have anything in the world, what would you wish for?” I shrug. “Oh, I dont know. Maybe . . .”
“Maybe what?”
“For us to live better than we do.”
He does not say anything.
In 1948, award-winning author Ruth White lived in Jewell Valley, a coal camp nestled between the hills of southwestern Virginia, with her mother, still mourning for a baby who died four years earlier; her father, who spent the weekends and most of his pay out drinking; and her three older sisters, Audrey, Yvonne, and Eleanor. Told in Audreys voice, this is how the author imagines Audreys experiences during a time of great trauma for the White family - and what happened before they were able to live a better life.
This snapshot of life in a coal camp, complete with everyday heartaches and joys - as well as stories, songs, and jokes - is Ruth Whites most personal work to date. Little Audrey is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Review
“Audreys voice is so vivid and believable that we see this world through her eyes, with her delicate mixture of innocence and experience . . . all the more poignant knowing that the real-life Audrey was the authors oldest sister, and this is her own family story—lovingly and unsentimentally rendered.” —Newsday
“White offers a heartfelt story of what its like to be poor, hungry, and sometimes happy. . . . Fierce in its honesty. . . . The first-person narrative allows readers to see clearly, through Audreys damaged eyes, the real people who inhabit this world, a place where smiles come from a movie or a piece of candy, and how hunger or the fear of its taints everything. A tough, tender story.” —Starred, Booklist
“Characters are carefully drawn and nuanced . . . . A little gem.” —Starred, School Library Journal
“Whites precise words bring every character fully to life. Though the real Audrey died in 1993, she shines in these pages—a beautiful, quiet heroine who takes on the burden of remembering.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Gritty details and hill-country vernacular skillfully evoke a sad, hardscrabble life.” —Publishers Weekly
“Its got an immediacy and impact that should appeal to readers just getting the hang of family sagas.”—Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books
“The setting is perfectly portrayed and the characterizations ring true.” —VOYA
Synopsis
The Newbery Honor-winning author of "Belle Prater's Boy" revisits a time of trouble and triumph in her past, as she presents a snapshot from her family's life in a Virginia coal mining camp, told from the point of view of White's oldest sister, Audrey.
About the Author
RUTH WHITE is the author of many acclaimed books for children, including the Newbery Honor Book
Belle Praters Boy and, most recently,
Way Down Deep, a
Booklist Editors Choice. She lives in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania.