Road to Tater Hill

by Edith Hemingway and Edith M. Hemingway

Book Overview

Annie can always count on spending summers at her grandparents'. This summer should be even better because Mama is going to have a baby soon. Before Daddy leaves for his Air Force assignment, he gives Annie a journal for summer memories. But now Annie is grieving over the death of her newborn sister. How can she tell Daddy that ever since the baby died, Mama has been slipping away? If Annie wrote those words, Mama might stay that way forever. The...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375845445
• ISBN13: 9780375845444
• Release Date: March 2011
• Publisher: Yearling Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Great page turner

Although centered around a pre-teen girl, this book was enjoyable for an adult as well. The book took me back to when I was a young girl of 11, just like Annie. The story is at first so heartbreaking, but is the story of unconditional love of a family and also friends. The mystery component makes it even more intriguing. I was crying by about page 2, and couldn't put it down until it was finished. Well done.

The moving story comes to life

Edith M. Hemingway's ROAD TO TATER HILL tells of Annie Winters and a family always on the move due to the Air Force. Her father's leaving for his latest assignment and he gives Annie a journal for happy summer memories of her new sibling's birth - memories that turn tragic when her newborn sister dies. Her friendship with a mysterious mountain woman and the mystery surrounding her gives Annie the strength to heal. The moving story comes to life.

Heartwarming with a Mystery Tang

Annie is turning 11, and her whole world is up-ended. This rich close-up of the North Carolina mountains in the early 60s makes a settled backdrop for this little girl's journey. Thick with tradition, sense of place and the stability of family life (in Annie's family and in the Millers down the road), Annie's childhood is snatched away with the death of her newborn sister. Mother is depressed and grows more distant as the days slip away. Even Annie's reliable friendship with Bobby Miller is suddenly awkward and strange. Everything hurts. Then Annie sees the mysterious woman, and the story takes a turn-- Turns like these are never easy, but this story moves toward life and hope. Annie is a girl of tremendous courage. Her story is a story of strength and hope. Bravo!

Gentle wisdom in the face of loss

I couldn't put this story down. I kept thinking, while reading it, that the story and the language were as comforting as a soft yellow baby blanket wrapped around your shoulders to ward off the chill... I also loved the emotional richness - the way the reader experiences all the facets of grief, not just in Annie but in her family. Annie, the main character, is a character you quickly care about. While going through one of the hardest experiences a child can bear - the loss of a family member - she remains impetuous, adventurous, and fiercely just. Miss Eliza, gentle and strong, is just as appealing. This is the kind of story you read when you need to find a friend in the pages. It's one I'll read over again.

A must read

The death of a child touches a wide circle of people. In Road to Tater Hill, Ms. Hemingway does a wonderful job of exploring the effects of that loss. More than the story of the death of a sister, the book also evokes the emotions involved in many relationships and the far-reaching changes that can take place. Spending the summer in the North Carolina mountains with her grandparents and her mother, eleven-year-old Annie goes from little girl to young adolescent as she learns about grief, friendship, and family. Annie befriends a mysterious mountain woman who has dealt with her own grief. Annie also learns that even a young neighbor boy is not unaffected by her family's loss. The readers get a look at American life in the 1960's and much to identify with. This is a very moving and well-told story.