John Riley's Daughter

by Kezi Matthews

Book Overview

John Riley's Daughter opens in a small South Carolina town in the early 1970s with the disappearance of Memphis Riley's 29-year-old mentally handicapped aunt, Clover. Memphis and Clover have never gotten along, which is just one of the things Memphis's grandmother will never forgive her for. Six years ago Memphis's folksinging father, John Riley, dropped her off at her grandmother's house temporarily after her mother died; he hasn't been back since...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081262775X
• ISBN13: 9780812627756
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Cricket Books
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

John Riley's Daughter

A great read about family life in the south; mystery,love,adventure,abandonment; a typical southern family. I am a southerner. Altho written for young adults all ages will enjoy Kezi Matthews word pictures that bring Memphis to living color.

Wonderful debut novel!

John Riley's Daughter is one of those edgy, suspenseful novels that keep you reading once you start. The Southern atmosphere is right on the mark, and the characters get up and walk off the page. I loved it from the beginning, and have already read it again!

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Recipient of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association's Best Children's Book by a Northwest author 2001 award. Also named to School Library Journal's Best Books 2000 list.

A Grand Southern Read !!

Few southern authors truly manage to capture the rhythm and flavor of southern life. Kezi Matthews has done it! Her voice rings so true, page after fabulous page. Young Memphis Riley, motherless and unwanted by her next of kin, carries the burdens of a harsh and cruel world upon her fragile shoulders. Bearing the pain of abandonment, Memphis arrives on her grandmother's doorstep and struggles to find her place in a home that has no love to spare. The story unfolds in a tumultuous storm of anger and sweltering bitterness. [excerpt] "My guitar!" she yelled. "Mine!" Her stiff, misshapen words flew at me on a thick spray of saliva. Then she turned and stomped down the steps. She was twenty-nine years old, but small and angular as a child. I watched her march across the yard and out of sight down the road, the tail of her ratty old coonskin cap flipping around as though it was still alive. Her spittle clung like snail spoor to the outside of the screen. A fly circled the wet strings, then took off as I began to beat against the doorframe with my fist. This time she'd gone too far--way too far. [end of excerpt]Kezi Matthews weaves a spellbinding tale of innocence and sobering reality in this debut novel. Her memorable characters will tug at your heartstrings and pierce the solitude of every silent moment, long after the final page is read._John Riley's Daughter_ is an excellent choice for a teen's personal collection. My copy is proudly shelved next to Ruth White's _Belle Prater's Boy_ and Kimberly Willis Holt's _My Louisiana Sky_, all three deserving of multiple reads. What a wonderful choice for a classroom read-aloud--a great selection for both teens and young adults! Order a copy of this engaging novel into your home, and don't forget to order one for your local librarian. She'll thank you for it!!

Beating the odds

What a wonderful book! I did not put it down until I finished reading it. This book should be rated "adult and young adult". I love the character's names.(especially Memphis, Clover, and Aunt Birdie) This book took me back to when I first read "TO Kill a Mockingbird". Kezi has a style that I really love. The way that Memphis handled things, at the beginning, may not have been the right way,but she was so young! My heart just went out to her. Thank God she had Aunt Birdie to run interference. I was so very happy with the way the story ended. I will recommend this book to many friends, young and old alike. It has many wonderful lessons for life. I would like to see this book on the "Oprah List". Thank You Kezi, Diana