Signed, Skye Harper

May 26, 2014
Winston has lived in Florida with her grandmother, Nanny, ever since her mother "took off headed west, for California, and for fame." Now 15, Winston hasn't seen her mother in more than a decade; after she gets a letter from Momma asking for help ("What do you 2 say about comming to git me?"), Nanny "borrows" her business partner's motor home for the trip to Las Vegas, only to find out that his son, Steve, is asleep inside. Williams's (Waiting) warm, humorous, and poignant story unfolds against the backdrop of the 1972 Munich Olympics and Mark Spitz's seven gold medals; Winston herself is a funny, strong and sensitive heroine with dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer. As the story progresses, the short chapters (sometimes as short as a single line of text) become a powerful plot device that strengthens Winston's voice, provides moments of laugh-out-loud humor, and builds intense emotion across all the characters, especially as romance grows between Steve and Winston. Ages 12âup. Agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency.

April 15, 2014
A teen takes a road trip with her longtime crush, her grandmother, their dog and their one-legged rooster in a stolen RV to retrieve her mother, whom she hasn't seen in 11 years. It's 1972, and 15-year-old Winston (she's named after the cigarette) is a mean swimmer--she hopes to make it into the Olympics and has a Mark Spitz poster in her bedroom that she regularly drools over. She's lived with her Nanny since she was 4, ever since her mother, Skye Harper, packed up and went to Vegas. Winston has gotten postcards from her, fewer as the years rolled by, and one day, she receives one asking if she and Nanny can come get Skye. They don't have a chance of making it in their intermittently reliable jalopy, so Nanny "borrows" a luxury motor home from their neighbor. What makes her theft particularly interesting is that the neighbor's son is none other than Steve, the boy of Winston's dreams. Hours into the trip, Winston draws back a curtain in the cabin only to discover a stowaway--Steve himself. Williams creates beautifully distinctive characters and gives them a terrifically original plot with moments of humor and quiet poignancy. The conclusion is as lovely as it is true to life, with an adroit balance between the happily-ever-after of fairy tales and the numbing pain of futile hope. A fine story of a mother-and-child reunion, packed with quirky characters and lessons about love. (Historical fiction. 12-16)

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June 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Winston was four years old when Momma left to become a movie star, leaving Winston to be raised by Nanny. Now, it's the summer of 1972 and Winston, age 15, is working to be as good a swimmer as her idol, Mark Spitz. Momma's infrequent letters have taken an ominous tone. She has finally given up on her dream and writes "The money jar, though, has run dry and there aint a red cent in it. What do you 2 say about coming to git me?" Winston has mixed feelings. It doesn't feel like Momma, also know as Skye Harper (her stage name), really wants to be her mother again. Things have been going along just fine without Momma. But Nanny is on a mission to get her own baby girl back home, and the two set off in a neighbor's "borrowed" RV toward Las Vegas, only to find out many miles later that the boy Winston has a crazy crush on, Steve, is asleep in the back. Nanny is determined that Winston will not repeat the same mistake that as she and Skye had committed by becoming single teen moms. Although Winston has no plans to take things that far, she's tempted by Steve's sweet, intoxicating kisses. And as the miles roll on, Winston becomes more and more nervous about seeing Momma again after all these years. Terrific pacing, an engaging plot, believable dialogue, and well-developed characters.-Susan Riley, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY

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