My Louisiana Sky

By Kimberly Willis Holt

Book Overview

"Brings fresh perspective to the guilt and anger and caring that surround the mentally disabled. All the characters . . . are drawn with warmth but no patronizing reverence." --Booklist, Starred Review

Set in the South in the late 1950s, this coming-of-age novel about the importance of family and home explores a twelve-year-old girl's struggle with grief, navigating life with her developmentally disabled parents, and the changing world around her.

Tiger Ann Parker wants nothing more than to get out of the rural town of Saitter, Louisiana--far away from her developmentally disabled mother and father, who can't read an electric bill, and her classmates who taunt her. So when Aunt Dorie Kay asks Tiger to spend the summer with her in Baton Rouge, Tiger can't wait to go. But before she leaves, the sudden revelation of a dark family secret prompts Tiger to make a decision that will ultimately change her life.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312660952
• ISBN13: 9780312660956
• Release Date: February 2011
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Unforgettable to me

We all have that one book that made us fall in love and dive down into reading. This book is the one for me. To this day I have never forgotten this book

Jason Novel

My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt This book is about a girl named Tiger Ann Parker who lives in the small town of Saitter, Louisiana. She may seem like a regular girl except for one thing, her parents are both mentally slow. She gets teased at school by the other kids and her only friend is Jesse Wade. When he starts to get feelings for her, she feels like she is in a completely different universe. She can't talk to Jesse Wade anymore, so her grandmother is the only one she can talk to. When her grandmother suddenly dies, her Aunt Dorie Kay comes to visit her and Tiger is faced with the decision of a lifetime. Will she stay in small town Saitter with her family and friends or try to start over new in the big city of Baton Rouge with her aunt? Read this book to find out! Personally, I thought this book was excellent. I really got into it on the first page. It is one of the best books I have read in a while. Megan S Age 11

My Louisiana Sky

Paige Gallia 2nd 11-11-02My Louisiana Sky Tiger Ann is a typical girl who is bright in school and good at baseball. The unfortunate part about her life is that the girls in her class often tease her about her family. Tiger knows that her family is rather different from many other families. They are mentally slow, and Tiger keeps her embarrassment hidden as long as her grandmother runs the household. Suddenly Granny dies, and Tiger is left to the care of her parents with her aunt. She offers Tiger Ann to come live with her, but Tiger has to make the right choice.My favorite part in the story was when Jesse Wade, her friend, kisses her when she least expected it. She ran away from him telling him to stay away from her. She didn't think or what want her friendship with Jesse Wade to become like that. She just didn't think of him that way. After she started talking to him again and forgave him for the kiss, she thought that he wasn't that bad and was actually glad that HE was the one that gave her first kiss. So after that, they still stayed as best friends.I enjoyed this book very much. At the beginning, it was boring and I wanted to put it down, but then , as I got further into the story, I found it much more interesting. My teacher, Mrs. Stepp recommended this book. I think it is a great book for students between the ages of 10-13, or even adults too! It tells how someone should not like them because of their family, but how they should like someone for the way they are. All in all, this is a fascinating book!

Your Nose Will Be Stuck In This Book!

I thought the novel "My Louisiana Sky" has a great plot. I should say it is in between historical fiction and suspense. The story is about a girl named Tiger that lives in Saitter, Louisiana. She's great in school but her parents are slow. For many years Tiger did not know what was wrong with her mother untill her aunt tells her the tragic news. Through this novel, Tiger deals with her problems very well and pulls through her goods times and bad times. I think that it would be hard for you to put this book down for even a minute! That is why i gave this novel 5 stars. Some people I know thought this novel was boring, but I say you would enjoy this book very much!

I Loved Tiger Ann

Tiger Ann gets straight A's and is a super baseball player. She is just anormal, spunky girl. Except for one thing, her parents are retarded.but she lives with her headstrong, honest grandmother, so everything is all right. Then when her grandmother dies her aunt Dorie Kay shows up and asks tiger to come live with her in Baton Rouge. Tiger is delighted but when she goes to visit Aunt Dorie Kay and comes home afterwards she realizes the choice is not obvious. Now she must chose between the glamorous city of Baton Rouge and her wonderful hometown of Saitter,Louisiana.I highly reccomend this book! I adore the realistic characters especially Tiger Ann.This a beautiful novel

I love Tiger Ann...

My Louisiana Sky is a beautifully drawn portrait of a "real girl". Tiger Ann is as genuine a character as you'll find in middle-grade fiction these days--full of doubts and questions about where she belongs in her world; sometimes loving and tender, other times impatient and even unkind. Because she is so real and the book is written from her point of view, it's a convincing and memorable story. Reflective rather than fast-paced, there is still enough action the book to keep the less patient reader interested, such episodes detailing baseball games and a terrible storm. I enjoyed this book immensely, and hope it finds its way into the hands of many young readers!