Synopses & Reviews
andlt;b andgt;Now in paperback, a moving novel of loss and resilience, told in a voice that is and#8220;sometimes humorous, at times heartbreaking, and always authenticand#8221; (andlt;i andgt;School Library Journalandlt;/iandgt;).andlt;/bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Twelve-year-old May lives with her grandmother, who is depressed about the absence of Mayand#8217;s mother, and her father, who works long hours and is almost never around. Due to her circumstance and her resentment over having to live in a low-income neighborhood, May often finds herself picking fights and getting into trouble.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;But when May is caught defacing her least favorite teacherand#8217;s classroom, she has a choice: expulsion or one-on-one summer school with the teacher she most detests. Begrudgingly, May chooses summer school and ultimately learns that her teacher has a secret pastand#8212;and might just hold the key to answers no one else will give May about her mother.
Review
"Brimming with emotion and insight into adolescent rage, Galante's prose investigates the impact of loss and the importance of making amends."
-Publishers Weekly, February 2011
Review
"Galante deftly weaves together the parallel stories of May and her teacher, while demonstrating how it’s their work together, like Holling Hoodhood’s sessions with Mrs. Baker in
The Wednesday Wars (2007), that changes them both."
- KIRKUS, March 2011
Review
"May’s voice is sometimes humorous, at times heartbreaking, and always authentic. Though foreshadowed, the conclusion brings each disparate piece of this touching novel together for a satisfying end to a taut and believable novel."
-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at Washington DC Public Library
- School Library Journal, April 2011
Synopsis
Now in paperback, a moving novel of loss and resilience, told in a voice that is "sometimes humorous, at times heartbreaking, and always authentic" (School Library Journal).
Twelve-year-old May lives with her grandmother, who is depressed about the absence of May's mother, and her father, who works long hours and is almost never around. Due to her circumstance and her resentment over having to live in a low-income neighborhood, May often finds herself picking fights and getting into trouble.
But when May is caught defacing her least favorite teacher's classroom, she has a choice: expulsion or one-on-one summer school with the teacher she most detests. Begrudgingly, May chooses summer school and ultimately learns that her teacher has a secret past--and might just hold the key to answers no one else will give May about her mother.
About the Author
andlt;b andgt;Cecilia Galanteandlt;/bandgt; has a BA in English from Kingand#8217;s College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College in Vermont. Her novel andlt;i andgt;The Patron Saint of Butterfliesandlt;/iandgt; received a Borders Original Voice Award. She is a faculty member of the graduate creative writing department at Wilkes University and lives with her husband and three children in Kingston, Pennsylvania.