Sometimey Friend

December 1, 2005
Gr 4-6 -A heartwarming, humorous sequel to "Sylvia & Miz Lula Maye" (Carolrhoda, 2002), set in South Carolina in 1978. Ten-year-old Sylvia Freeman is staying with her great-grandmother while the aunt who raised her goes to Florida. Despite Miz Lula Maye's many quirks, Sylvia dearly loves the 100-year-old woman, whom she considers her best friend. However, when she starts in a new school and the other kids begin saying that Sylvia lives with a -witch, - her loyalties are severely tested and the elderly woman is relegated to the position of -sometimey friend. - It seems okay just not to tell anyone about her eccentric relative until fall carnival comes and Miz Lula Maye suggests that the two of them dress alike, as angels! Flood's characters are likable, and the realistic dialogue lends an appealing ethnicity to this charming story about a loving African-American family. Marshall's pencil drawings add spice to this story of a special intergenerational relationship. If the pace seems a little slow at first, readers can be reassured that as the characters develop, so will their interest." -Kathryn Childs, Morris Mid/High School, OK"

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