The Laura Line: A Funny and Touching Story About School and Honoring Your Family's Past for Children (Ages 8-12) - Softcover

Allen, Crystal

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062490214 ISBN 13: 9780062490216

Publisher: Storytide, 2016

Synopsis

A touching and funny story of one girl’s journey to discover where she came from and the unlimited possibilities of who she can become, from Crystal Allen, the acclaimed author of How Lamar’s Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy and The Magnificent Mya Tibbs.

Laura Dyson wants two things in life: to be accepted by her classmates and to be noticed by ultracute baseball star Troy Bailey. But everyone at school teases her for being overweight, and Troy won’t give her a second glance. Until one day, their history teacher announces a field trip to the run-down slave shack on her grandmother’s property. Heck to the power of no way!

Her grandmother insists that it’s more than just an old shack; it’s a monument to the strong women in their family—the Laura Line. But Laura knows better: her classmates will never accept her once they see the shack. So she comes up with the perfect plan to get the trip canceled . . . but when a careless mistake puts the shack—and the Laura Line—in jeopardy, Laura must decide what’s truly important to her.

Can Laura figure out how to get what she wants at school while also honoring her family’s past? 

• Overcoming Bullying: Laura is tired of being called "Fat Larda" at school and just wants to fit in. This story follows her journey to find her voice and stand up for herself.
• Black History for Kids: The old slave shack on her grandmother’s farm holds secrets to the "Laura Line," a powerful ancestry of strong women she never knew she was a part of.
• First Crush: All Laura wants is for the super-cute baseball star Troy Bailey to notice her, but her complicated feelings about her family’s past might get in the way.
• Friendship Struggles: When Laura’s best friend gets a chance to be popular, Laura has to decide between supporting her friend and standing up for what she believes in.
• Finding Your Voice: A heartwarming and funny realistic fiction novel about learning to be proud of where you come from and who you are.

About this title

About the Author

Crystal Allen is the author of the middle grade novels How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy, The Laura Line, and the three books in the Magnificent Mya Tibbs series. Her many accolades include the Sid Fleischman Humor Award for The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: The Wall of Fame Game and induction into the Texas Institute of Letters. Crystal is also a committee member of The Brown Bookshelf, the codirector of Kindling Words East, and a faculty member of Highlights for Children. She lives in Texas with her husband, Reggie, and two sons, Phillip and Joshua. Visit her online at crystalallenbooks.com.

Edition details

• Publisher: Storytide
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062490214
• ISBN 13: 9780062490216
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352