Like Sisters on the Homefront

When Gayle gets into trouble with her boyfriend, her mother sends the street-smart 14-year-old--and her baby, Jos--down to Georgia, to live with Uncle Luther and his family. There's nothing to do, nowhere to go, and no one around except kneesock-wearing, Jesus-praising cousin Cookie. Then Gayle meets Great, the family matriarch--and her stories of the past begin to change how Gayle sees her future. Williams-Garcia has surpassed herself.She has set these fictional characters firmly in the real world while still allowing them to rise from the pages and into readers' hearts and imaginations. --The Horn Book, starred review