When eleven-year-old Katy Sue loses her mother to meningitis, she and her family must adjust to life without her. The rural farm in the 1940s provides a natural backdrop that is rhythmic and routine but unforgiving, even when a family member dies. The house’s emptiness is filled only when her Aunt Katherine comes to the family’s aid, as does Jake, a family friend.
Katy Sue, the youngest of the three children, struggles to understand what the loss of her mother means for her now. With the guidance of her teacher, she begins to imagine her future through drawing, a process that allows her to accept her father’s soon-to-be wife, the farm life without her mother, and, eventually, her own role within the family.
“Marguerite Gavin captures the eleven-year-old’s poignant thoughts and memories in a melodic and thoughtful presentation…Gavin crafts her portrayal of each character, giving voice and emotion to each family member as well as to townsfolk and friends.”
AudioFile
“Gavin brings a casual, homey feel to the novel…This story sensitively captures the sorrow, loneliness, and small moments of joy that Katy Sue feels, with Gavin’s reading eliciting deep compassion for the young protagonist.”
Booklist
“The honest account of a family’s journey of grieving and healing is well portrayed and may be cathartic for children who have suffered their own losses.”
School Library Journal
“In this beautifully written and often lyrical tale, Ellie Matthews explores the ways in which members of a close-knit family cope with their grief when one of their number suddenly dies…Full of powerful imagery and truly lovely language, this is a story that will continue to leave an impression on the minds of listeners long after the audiobook has finished playing. In Marguerite Gavin’s narrative she captures the emotions in Katy Sue’s voice to such great effect that the girl’s pain and grief is almost tangible, as are her feelings of warmth when her life starts to improve at last.”
Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review
“The heartfelt voice of Katy Sue reveals a family rooted in love and a charming look back at the pastimes, foods, manners, and morals of a half-century ago.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children’s Literature, this novel has a nostalgic yet spirited voice in the form of main character Katy Sue.”
Children’s Literature
“[A] poignant, bittersweet story…[Katy] is an objective narrator, sharing with the readers what it feels like to move beyond a traumatic loss without losing the memories of love. A gentle, life-affirming tale that deserves to be shared and discussed.”
Kliatt
" A gentle read of a farm family in 1940's Iowa rooted in love who learn to cope with the sudden death of their mother. Winner of the Milkweed Prize and reminiscent of Sara Plain and Tall. "
" This book is about a little girl who looses her mother to meningitis and how the family copes without their mother. It is very good. "
" How a family pulls together after the mother-and-wife dies. "
" This book is so sad but so good. I crieed really hard after I fineshed this book. "
" this was a book-o-week pick that interested me because of the dead-mother aspect. it was a nice, if unnoticeable YA. "
" A "book for intermediate readers" by a friend and ex-student of mine. It...is...WONDERFUL. Such a warm, wise exploration of grief. Great period details. "
" It's about a farm family in the 1940s, who is struggling after the mother dies. Not a book that will sell like Harry Potter but I think it will definitely appeal to those into the American Girl books and the Dear America series. "
" Quiet and remarkable story about moving on after grief. Aunt/stepmother story line took me by surprise, but I'm sure that was not extremely uncommon back then. "
" This was a very remarkable book! I hope that everyone enjoys this book and much as I did. "
Ellie Mathews has been published in Cricket and Cicada. She is the author of Ambassador to the Penguins, a nonfiction book about her grandfather, the naturalist Robert Cushman Murphy. She has received a grant from the Seattle Artists Program for Literary Artists and a fellowship from the Fishtrap Writers’ Conference. She lives in Port Townsend, Washington.
Marguerite Gavin is a seasoned theater veteran, a five-time nominee for the prestigious Audie Award, and the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones and Publishers Weekly awards. She has been an actor, director, and audiobook narrator for her entire professional career. With over four hundred titles to her credit, her narration spans nearly every genre, from nonfiction to mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and children’s fiction. AudioFile magazine says, “Marguerite Gavin…has a sonorous voice, rich and full of emotion.”
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