My Louisiana Sky [Hardcover]

Kimberly Willis Holt (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

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 ter 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 Sky is a 1998 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description

Your momma may have a simple mind, Tiger, but her love is simple too. It flows from her like a quick, easy river.

 

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, and her classmates who tease her relentlessly. When her grandmother dies, Aunt Dorie Kay asks Tiger to live with her in Baton Rouge. Tiger finally has a way out; she can’t wait to go. But she’s finding that leaving her parents and the only home she’s ever known—changing her entire life—isn’t going to be that easy.

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Amazon Exclusive: Lisa Gardner Reviews Still Missing

Sixteen years ago, My Louisiana Sky met its first group of readers. Back then I volunteered at my daughter's school library. Those first readers were fourth-graders who gave me twenty minutes of their weekly book-searching time. The story was in manuscript form and hadn't been sent out to potential publishers or agents. As a novice writer, the sessions with those young students were exciting and important to my craft. Their questions steered me back to the page, eager to clear up any confusion. After My Louisiana Sky was published I continued to get feedback from readers. A few weeks after the book debuted, I received a phone call from a woman who had grown up with a mentally challenged mother. She thought my story was a memoir. After convincing her it was fiction, I hung up with the startling realization that someone I didn't know had read my book.

Soon I began receiving letters from readers. Some told me they wished a part in the plot had turned out differently. Some liked it just the way it was. Many shared how the book had affected their lives. Last month a college student at a book festival told me My Louisiana Sky was one of her favorite books. She said she related to the main character. It was an emotional confession because she, too, had grown up as her mother's caretaker. She's among the readers who convinced me that no matter how old a story is, it has the power to connect with our current life.

Didn't I always know this? After all, I was a lonely seventh grader when I found The Heart is a Lonely Hunter in my junior high library. Somehow I didn't feel so alone, knowing that Mick shared the same longing for being accepted that I did.

More than a dozen years have passed since My Louisiana Sky was originally published. A lot of my readers weren't even born in 1998. I'm still hearing from them. The story may be old to me, but they are finding it for the first time.

This month My Louisiana Sky is getting a fresh look. The transformation stops at the cover. The words and story remain the same. I won't say the same old story because this journey has taught me that opening to the first page of a book is like taking a first step on a trail winding through the woods. The trail may have been carved by countless steps made from former travelers. But discoveries await us. We view the sights believing no one else has ever caught a glimpse of them, as if we are the original travelers. And, for a while, we are. For a while, everything is new.

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--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Making an unusually auspicious debut, Holt offers a unique coming-of-age tale. The year is 1957 and the place is Saitter, La., a small town where prejudices reach far beyond skin color. Twelve-year-old Tiger Parker, exceptionally bright and also good at baseball, is shunned by the girls in her class because her mother, Corrina, and her father, Lonnie, are "different" ("Folks around here call it retarded, but I like 'slow' better"). Through Tiger's perceptive first-person narration, readers watch her grow painfully aware of her mother's limitations and become embarrassed by Corrina's childish behavior. She calms herself with the knowledge that her grandmother, who heads the household, has "enough brains for all of us." But Granny dies suddenly, and Tiger is left with an excruciating choice: Should she live with her sophisticated aunt in Baton Rouge, where she could find freedom but would break her parents' hearts, or should she forgo the opportunity and take on more responsibilities at home? While readers may not agree with Tiger's decision, they will admire her courage, loyalty and love for her parents. Holt conveys the innocence of Tiger's fun-loving mother and hardworking father without overdramatizing their intellectual deficiencies. The author presents and handles a sticky dilemma with remarkable grace. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (May 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805052518
• ISBN-13: 978-0805052510
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #680,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a Navy brat that lived all over the world including Guam, Paris and the New Orleans Westbank. Even though we moved a lot, my emotional home was always Forest Hill, Louisiana, a little town in the piney-woods where my grandparents lived. I married a Texan and have lived in Texas most of my adult life. Both states feel like home now. I like to say that Louisiana gave me roots and Texas gave me branches.

I started writing on yellow legal pads and didn't own a computer until after I'd been writing a year. Maybe that's why I still write my first drafts by hand.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jason Novel, November 10, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Louisiana Sky (Paperback)

My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt

This book is about a girl named Tiger Ann Parker who lives in the small town of Saitter, Louisiana. She may seem like a regular girl except for one thing, her parents are both mentally slow. She gets teased at school by the other kids and her only friend is Jesse Wade. When he starts to get feelings for her, she feels like she is in a completely different universe. She can't talk to Jesse Wade anymore, so her grandmother is the only one she can talk to. When her grandmother suddenly dies, her Aunt Dorie Kay comes to visit her and Tiger is faced with the decision of a lifetime. Will she stay in small town Saitter with her family and friends or try to start over new in the big city of Baton Rouge with her aunt? Read this book to find out! Personally, I thought this book was excellent. I really got into it on the first page. It is one of the best books I have read in a while.
Megan S
Age 11

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Southern sweetness, December 19, 2000

By 

Krista - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Louisiana Sky (Paperback)

Ignorance is bliss for Tiger Ann Parker, growing up in rural Louisiana during the 1950s.

She knows that her parents, who are mentally challenged, are a little different from other people's parents. Her feisty grandmother shields Tiger from the unkind comments of other people, and makes sure that Tiger's physical and mental needs are met.

But things are changing for Tiger. Some snotty town girls begin to mock her family and ostracize her, while her best buddy Jesse is starting to view her as more than a friend. The sudden death of Tiger's grandmother sends her whole world toppling. Who will take care of her now?

Her sophisticated aunt's life in Baton Rouge is tempting; Tiger even visits with thoughts of staying permanently. Yet she feels out of place in the big city, and realizes that her true home is back with her parents, who love her and who possess strengths that she has never known about.

This novel includes great details of time and place, including TV as a novelty, Hepburn haircuts, and a pink tiled bathroom! And while some of the novel's turning points seem a bit contrived, there is a heart and a sweetness which make this southern story one to savor.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *I loved this book*, May 31, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Louisiana Sky (Paperback)

This book is the best book I have ever read!I recommend
it to anyone above the age of 12.I even used it for my
book report and I have read it twice.I got this book
because the title looked interesting and so is the book!
Tiger has two mentally disabled parents and her classmates
are always teasing her.so when her granny dies she has to
choose between living with her parents or her aunt.I won't
tell you what she chooses you'll have to read to find out.
One of my favorite parts of this book is when her best friend
Jesse Wade kisses her.she is so mean to him after that but
after a while she forgives him.I know you'll enjoy this book
because I did.I give it five stars!!