The Missing Pieces of Me - Hardcover

Van Leeuwen, Jean

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1477847294 ISBN 13: 9781477847299

Publisher: Two Lions, 2014

Synopsis

More than anything, ten-year-old Weezie wants to please her momma. She babysits her spoiled half-sister, Ruth Ann, and little Jackson. She makes tea for Momma in Gramma Emmeline’s beautiful teapot. She even tries to cook dinner. But nothing turns out quite right. And Momma is never pleased. Hard times and a daddy who ran off before she was born seem to have stolen all of Momma’s love.

If only Weezie could find her daddy, she’s sure her life would be happier. Tired of making up stories about a parent she knows nothing about, Weezie teams up with her bike-riding buddy, Calvin, and new friend, Louella, to find her mysterious father. Does he drive a truck? Sing country and western songs? Why, her real daddy might even be better than the made-up father she’s been telling lies about at school! Now, all she has to do is find him.

Jean Van Leeuwen’s poignant, powerful novel introduces a feisty heroine whose brave search proves that even a life that’s missing important pieces can be chock full of things that matter.

About this title

About the Author

Jean Van Leeuwen is the author of more than fifty children’s books from picture books to beginning readers to middle-grade fiction, including The Great Cheese Conspiracy and Five Funny Bunnies: Three Bouncing Tales, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Her books have won numerous awards, including the William Allen White Award, the South Carolina Children’s Book Award, the Washington Irving Children’s Choice Award, and many ALA Notable Book citations. Her popular Oliver and Amanda Pig Easy-to-Read series was called “timeless as the truths of childhood” by the New York Times. A former children’s book editor, she lives in Chappaqua, New York.

From School Library Journal

Gr 4–6—This is the poignant story of sensitive Weezie, who is growing up in an 1980's Oklahoman trailer park with an overworked and unloving Mama. The fifth-grader is nearly convinced that she is a completely bad person, thanks to her mother's uncompromising expectations and lack of affection, combined with her own penchant for lying to protect herself from the other kids' curiosity about her life. Van Leeuwen beautifully balances dialogue with action and the internal narrative of her hero to create a forward-moving tale that will carry readers along, feeling alternately sad and proud for Weezie all the way. All of the secondary characters are simple, defined by one or two primary characteristics, but feel full-bodied thanks to the variation in their voices and thoughtful details, such as the teacher who "ran her fingers through her hair, making it stand out like a dark cloud around her head... when she was thinking." Unlike many protagonists of this age group, Weezie is on the innocent and naive side, and nothing shockingly bad or jarringly uncomfortable happens. Ultimately, this quiet book reveals the capacity for good within the characters—despite the hard and unyielding heart of Weezie's mother—and leaves readers with a sense of empathy and understanding about the importance of self-confidence. Recommended for readers who can handle getting emotionally involved with their protagonists, such as fans of Karen Hesse.—Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Edition details

• Publisher: Two Lions
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1477847294
• ISBN 13: 9781477847299
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 226