Lisa Lewis Tyre

Young people who like Southern fiction with a smidge of history and a dash of mystery won’t want to miss this little gem. Tyre’s wonderful debut novel gives narrator Dorothy Blue a chance to show her prodigious skills. Blue gives every character a unique Southern voice—from main character 12-year-old Louise Mayhew to her feisty, flirty grandmother, Birdie. An additional character is Louise’s ancestor whose Civil War-era diary entries add the history as well as characters of the period.

Apply in the Classroom Encourage students to think about what they could share to help celebrate the fourth of July with families that are new to your community. Picnics and fireworks are fun, but you can really bring some zing to America’s birthday with reading! Independence Day is, after all, a celebration of a written document.

If a new literary agent arrives on the scene, especially one that is looking for middle grade fiction, you know the Mafia is going to let you know! She is interested in all sorts of kidlit, ranging from picture books and middle-grade to YA (including YA/Adult crossovers). Tanusri is drawn to storytellers who deftly inveigle readers into their intricately-crafted plots with great voice and a touch of humor, and to writers with a vivid sense of the absurd.