Customer Reviews

My Louisiana Sky

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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!!

My Louisiana Sky is a beautifully drawn portrait of a "real girl". Tiger Ann is as genuine a character as you'll find in middle-grade fiction these days--full of doubts and questions about where she belongs in her world; sometimes loving and tender, other times impatient and even unkind. Because she is so real and the book is written from her point of view, it's a convincing and memorable story. Reflective rather than fast-paced, there is still enough action the book to keep the less patient reader interested, such episodes detailing baseball games and a terrible storm. I enjoyed this book immensely, and hope it finds its way into the hands of many young readers!

I thought the novel "My Louisiana Sky" has a great plot. I should say it is in between historical fiction and suspense. The story is about a girl named Tiger that lives in Saitter, Louisiana. She's great in school but her parents are slow. For many years Tiger did not know what was wrong with her mother untill her aunt tells her the tragic news. Through this novel, Tiger deals with her problems very well and pulls through her goods times and bad times. I think that it would be hard for you to put this book down for even a minute! That is why i gave this novel 5 stars. Some people I know thought this novel was boring, but I say you would enjoy this book very much!

Tiger Ann gets straight A's and is a super baseball player. She is just anormal, spunky girl. Except for one thing, her parents are retarded.but she lives with her headstrong, honest grandmother, so everything is all right. Then when her grandmother dies her aunt Dorie Kay shows up and asks tiger to come live with her in Baton Rouge. Tiger is delighted but when she goes to visit Aunt Dorie Kay and comes home afterwards she realizes the choice is not obvious. Now she must chose between the glamorous city of Baton Rouge and her wonderful hometown of Saitter,Louisiana.I highly reccomend this book! I adore the realistic characters especially Tiger Ann.This a beautiful novel

My Louisiana Sky is about an un-wealthy thirteen-year old girl named Tiger who has two slow parents. Her grandmother lives with them but when the grandmother dies the family does not know what to do. I loved this book because it had so many cliffhangers it kept me thinking about the book even after I finished reading it. This book made me realize how lucky I am and it made me cry for Tiger and Tigers mom. I do not know what I would do if anywhere I went I was paranoid of my parents making a fool out of me. Throughout the entire book I was scared Tiger would loose her relationship with her mom and dad. I was also scared Tiger would blow up at her mom, which she did a couple of times. I would recommend this book to all girls who feel bad for themselves. Maybe when they see how bad Tiger has it, they will see how lucky they are. I would also recommend this book to all tom-girls who are deciding on becoming one of the followers who follow the girly popular crowd, just like Tiger.

Paige Gallia
2nd
11-11-02

My Louisiana Sky

Tiger Ann is a typical girl who is bright in school and good at baseball. The unfortunate part about her life is that the girls in her class often tease her about her family. Tiger knows that her family is rather different from many other families. They are mentally slow, and Tiger keeps her embarrassment hidden as long as her grandmother runs the household. Suddenly Granny dies, and Tiger is left to the care of her parents with her aunt. She offers Tiger Ann to come live with her, but Tiger has to make the right choice.

My favorite part in the story was when Jesse Wade, her friend, kisses her when she least expected it. She ran away from him telling him to stay away from her. She didn't think or what want her friendship with Jesse Wade to become like that. She just didn't think of him that way. After she started talking to him again and forgave him for the kiss, she thought that he wasn't that bad and was actually glad that HE was the one that gave her first kiss. So after that, they still stayed as best friends.

I enjoyed this book very much. At the beginning, it was boring and I wanted to put it down, but then , as I got further into the story, I found it much more interesting. My teacher, Mrs. Stepp recommended this book. I think it is a great book for students between the ages of 10-13, or even adults too! It tells how someone should not like them because of their family, but how they should like someone for the way they are. All in all, this is a fascinating book!

This story takes place during the summer of 1957. Tiger Ann Parker is the daughter of Lonnie and Corrina, who happen to be mentally handicapped. The small family live with the aid of Corrina's mother.

During the summer Tiger's life undergoes drastic changes. As difficult as it was trying to fit in with the rest of the "normal" kids, Tiger fell into even more cocmplication and confusion. Her grandmother died very unexpectedly, leaving Corrina, Lonnie and Tiger to fend for themselves.

Tiger struggles with the idea of leaving her simple life in the small town of Saitter, Louisiana for the possibility of a home with her glamorous and well-to-do aunt Dorie Kay in Baton Rouge. The story progresses and Tiger gets a taste of what life could be like if she were to leave her family and live with her aunt.

Tiger faces several difficult decisions during this eventful summer.

I really loved this book and it is one of the best books I've ever read. The idea for the novel was very original and very touching. I feel students will be able to relate to several of the coming-of-age situations and emotions Tiger goes through within the novel. Often Tiger doubts the abilities of her parents to do things correctly and behave as parents should. However, Tiger ends up surprised several times and understands that just because her parents are different they are still her parents and there are things they can teach her.

I really enjoyed My Louisiana Sky because I was able to relate the story more to my life. The story takes place in the 1950's in a rural town of Saitter, Louisiana. My Louisiana Sky is about a girl named "Tiger" who struggles with the fact that her mom and dad are different from other parents. Usually parents take care of their kids, but Tiger is taking care of her parents because they are mentally retarded. Her grandmother looks after Tiger's mom until she dies. This leaves Tiger with no one but herself to take care of her mom and dad. Her aunt, Dorie Kay, comes back to help out for a while but ends up leaving to go back to her home. Tiger's aunt asks Tiger if she would like to live with her, instead of staying in Saitter. Tiger has to make a decision of which is more important, her family, or living another life with her aunt. In the end she realizes that her life is fine in Saitter and that she is needed at home with her mom and dad.

The genre of the book is historical fiction. Kimberly definitely represents historical fiction due to presenting real life situations. Kimberly wrote from events that had happened during her childhood. In this book are influence came from when she was riding around with her mother and seen a man and a woman walking beside the road. Her mom told her they were mentally retarded. She wrote a story around this idea and included historical information that was going on around the time period, such as Hurricane Audrey.

In my literature book Children's Books in Children's Hand it discusses certain concepts that have to be present before it can be considered historical fiction. The characters should represent ordinary people, instead of figures of historical importance. In My Louisiana Sky Tiger and all of her family members are exactly who they are and they do not pretend to be anyone else. This is a characteristic I associate with people in the south because they do not try to change their ways and be someone else. They are just common people who were born and raised in the south. The theme in historical fiction helps students to understand the past but can be associated with present times. The theme for this story is based around the idea of family. Tiger has a hard time accepting her parents situation, instead she feels like it is a burden and heartache on her life due to her parents being mentally retarded. I think this book represents the idea that regardless of whether or not your family is the same as other families this should not make a difference because a family's love can rise above anything. Setting plays a huge role in historical fiction because it brings the time and place to life with details. Kimberly does a great job in this story because she was able to give the reader enough detail to describe the surrounding environment of Saitter, Louisiana and give details in relation to events that were happening during this time period. There are other qualities that have to be present before the story can be read as historical fiction but these three seem to be the main ones. In our temple text it states that, "The writer of the historical fiction must make the work historically authentic. Writers must know the period about which they are writing so well that every detail is accurate." I think that Kimberly does a great job in keeping her work historically authentic because she writes as though you are in that time period. Her information is accurate, which helps the reader to picture the image of the time period easier.

For Instructional purposes a teacher could use this book in discussing the importance of a family's love. Family's love is a great gift and should be thought of something very valuable and special. I think discussing this matter with kids can be influential to their lives, especially, for students who have problems in their families. Another neat thing a teacher could do with his or her students is conducting a flower nursery project next to the school. Students could record their experiences and feelings toward the project. Teachers could also use this book when he or she has a discussion about the effects of a hurricane. In this book it discusses Hurricane Audrey coming into the coast of Louisiana. Students could do a research project about this Hurricane and what devastation it left in Louisiana. Another lesson plan a teacher could do is have the kids pretend they are Tiger and write in her perspective about her feelings toward her family and the town.

Overall, this book was an excellent read, and it is a book that I would recommend to anyone. It truly defines what historical fiction is and what qualities need to be present in historical fiction and outstanding children's literature. I truly loved this book and I hope to someday read this book to my class. I hope that it touches their lives like it has mine.