My Louisiana Sky

November 1, 1999
In this poignant adaptation of Holt's debut novel, actress Ivey's natural Southern twang goes down as smooth as "Momma's extra-sweet lemondade." Twelve-year-old Tiger Ann Parker finds herself going through some momentous changes in the summer following sixth grade. Though she fiercely loves and defends her parents--both of whom are mentally disabled, or "slow," as Tiger prefers--Tiger harbors guilt about sometimes feeling embarrassed by Momma and Daddy. She's also torn between playing baseball with her best pal, Jesse Wade, and sitting on the sidelines with the girls in pretty dresses. Luckily, she has her loving, pragmatic Granny at home to help her sort through the confusion. But when Granny suddenly dies from a snake bite, Tiger's world turns upside down. In the weeks following Granny's death, Tiger discovers how truly special her parents are and that she could never leave them or their tiny rural hometown of Saitter, La. Set in the 1950s, Holt's story evokes an era on the cusp of technological and social change, when life was mostly simple, though larger problems like racial inequality loomed. Ivey portrays Tiger with the perfect mix of innocence and a sense of blossoming wisdom. Ivey's other characterizations call on a range of colorful, though never overly affected, Southern cadences and inflections. Ages 9-up.

July 1, 1998
Gr 6-8-The summer after completing sixth grade, Tiger Parker becomes aware that her family life is different from that of most of her peers in the late 50s in Saitter, LA. Her hardworking father made it through 12 years of school only on teachers' pity; her mother, more severely retarded, never went to school at all. Because of her parents, Tiger is ostracized by the other girls. Fortunately, she still takes pleasure in excelling in the classroom and on the ball field with best buddy, Jesse Wade, and the other boys. When Jesse dramatically changes the equation by kissing her, and Tiger's grandmother, the linchpin of her family, dies in the butter-bean patch, Tiger is distraught. In a further complication, Aunt Dorie Kay arrives to offer her a new and glamorous lifestyle away from her parents in Baton Rouge, and Tiger must decide for herself what is really important to her. Holt has nicely portrayed the rhythms, relationships, and sometimes harsh realities of small-town life. The past inequality unfairly dealt blacks is touched upon, but not fully explored. The way neighbors look after one another is carefully delineated. However, the big city is depicted as a place in which one must drop all rural identity and adopt a superficial veneer to succeed. Unfortunately, readers are never shown a middle ground. Still, this is a pleasantly readable first novel with lots of authentic characters from a promising author.-Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY

Starred review from April 15, 1998
Gr. 6^-9. Set in central Louisiana in the 1950s, this lyrical first novel brings fresh perspective to the guilt and anger and caring that surround the mentally disabled. Tiger Ann's parents are "retarded," and her love for them is mixed with shame, especially when the local kids jeer at her simple, childlike mother. Strong Granny keeps them together in their small, rough house in central Louisiana; but then Granny dies suddenly, and 12-year-old Tiger is tempted to take up an offer from her worldly aunt, Dorie Kay, and move with her to Baton Rouge. Of course, we know that in the end Tiger will not abandon her home, but her spare first-person narrative is full of surprise as she discovers complicated secrets about family and responsibility. Why did Dorie Kay leave town? What was the tension between her and Granny? All the characters, including Tiger's parents, are drawn with warmth but no patronizing reverence. First-novelist Holt knows this place: its cruel segregation and abuse as well as its loving support. Tiger must give up being a child, but she finds courage in her Louisiana home. ((Reviewed April 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)