Love Me Tender

Starred review from March 3, 2008
Couloumbis's (Getting Near to Baby
) winning, witty portrayal of a slightly neurotic American family encapsulates universal truths about family relationships. The narrator, 13-year-old Elvira, is horrified when her father leaves home after a quarrel, bound for an Elvis impersonation competition in Las Vegas even though Elvira's pregnant mother, Mel, wanted him to stay home. Elvira worries that he won't come back, but her concerns shift when, prompted by a dire phone call, Mel packs up Elvira and her younger sister, Kerrie, and drives everyone off to visit her long-estranged mother in Memphis. (Opening the door at six in the morning to a pregnant Mel arriving unannounced with the granddaughters she's never met, Mel's mother greets them flatly with, “He's left you.”) Elvira, getting to know “the grandmother” (as Elvira thinks of her) and Mel's sister, Clare (“pronounced Clare-ree
,” advises Elvira, “same accent on both syllables”), has ample opportunity to reflect on families, her own attitudes about being an older sister and daughter, and the origins of family rifts. Tart characterizations, lively dialogue and Elvira's frank narration keep this perceptive novel both credible and buoyant. Ages 8-12.

April 1, 2008
Gr 5-8-Elvira is a feisty, stubborn 13-year-old living in New Hope, NC. She has a younger sister, Kerrie, who drives her crazy. Elvira and her mother, Mel, often bicker like two schoolgirls, and her father, Tony, is an Elvis impersonator. When Mel discovers she is pregnant, she and Tony fight about an important Elvis contest in Las Vegas, and he leaves with his blue suede shoes, tight white jeans, and Brylcreem. Mel receives a phone message from her estranged sister, Clare, which prompts her to pack up the 1957 DeSoto Fireflite (with license plate reading "ELVIS LVS") and take the girls on a road trip "home" to Memphis. The journey, of course, results in Elvira meeting family she never knew. She gains a new appreciation for her mother, discovers traits that she and her grandmother share, and finds the home she has been craving. Tony also comes to Memphis with the realization that his family is more important than an Elvis competition. Strong character development, snappy dialogue, and humorous situations carry this novel. While the central plot is ultimately predictable and not particularly fresh, readers will enjoy Elvira's voice and the humor, and just might want to find out more about Elvis Presley."Jennifer Ralston, Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2008
Elvira, 13, watches with trepidation as her father heads to Las Vegas for a big Elvis impersonator competition. Will he come back to her; her younger sister, Kerrie; and her pregnant mother, Melespeciallygiven the huge fight her parents had before he left? Instead of waiting around to find out, Mel takes the kids to Memphis to visit her long-estranged familyafter receiving acall that indicates her mother ison her last legs. Couloumbis, author of theNewbery Honor Book Getting Near to Baby (1999), presents a castthat might well have the word quirky written ontheir collective foreheads. This makes for an interesting enough starting point, but theres not much follow-through; its as if the outlines are drawn and never colored in. Nor isthere much suspense in the outcome.Nevertheless, readers willenjoythe humor, and Elviras voice, though a familiar one, will carry many of them through the story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)