Leaving Gee's Bend - Hardcover

Latham, Irene

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399251790 ISBN 13: 9780399251795

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 2010

Synopsis

Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but she can still put in a good stitch. Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things go wrong.

But when Mama goes into labor early and gets deathly ill, it seems like even quilting won?t help. That?s when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic?leave Gee?s Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine that can only be found miles away in Camden. But that doesn?t stop Ludelphia. She just puts one foot in front of the other.

What ensues is a wonderful, riveting and sometimes dangerous adventure. Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mother proud, and ends up saving the day for her entire town.

Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee?s Bend, Alabama, Leaving Gee?s Bend is a delightful, satisfying story of a young girl facing a brave new world.

About this title

About the Author

Irene Latham lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and three children. This is her first novel.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–6—Blind in one eye and shouldering a fair share of work as part of a family of sharecroppers, 10-year-old Ludelphia Bennett is no stranger to hardship or determination. Though her small town of Gee's Bend is geographically isolated by the Alabama River, she sets off on her own to Camden, 40 miles away, to find a doctor for her sick mother. Constant throughout her arduous journey is a stitched-together fabric, and she both physically and mentally chronicles her experiences as she pieces a quilt together. This is the way Ludelphia tells her story, of seeing white people for the first time, of encountering kindness and hate, and it is also the way Latham pays homage to the community spirit that historically fostered a heritage of artisan quilt-makers. While there is a bit of a reliance on coincidence, what shines through is the characterization and sense of place. Rural Alabama of 1932 is brought to life, complete with characters' prejudices and superstitions that are eventually overcome thanks to Ludelphia's indomitable strength. Here is a story that is comforting and warm, just like the quilts that make Gee's Bend famous.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library
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About this edition

• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0399251790
• ISBN 13: 9780399251795
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240