Ellen Foster
From Sue Kaufman prize winner, Kaye Gibbons
Where do YOU belong?
"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy" (Gibbons 1)
Summary
After her sickly mother's suicide, a young girl is forced to stay with her abusive alcoholic father living in unfavorable condition in early rural south. When her teacher sees bruises on her arms she places in her 'negro' friends home where she learns of the adversities she faces through humor and first person narrative.
Coming of age
Ellen Foster is a character that reminds the readers of Scout Finch from 'To Kill A Mockingbird", in a personality sense. Ellen went through what no child should ever go through which forced her to 'Come of Age' earlier. The First person narrative helped the reader see coming of age first hand. Also, having to understand living as a child in Jim Crow south with a negro friend.
Call to Action
The book isn't just sadness and adversity. The first person narrative adds Ellen's humor, wit, and fun energy in to the book. Also, the book isn't long it is only 15 chapters and the young vocabulary makes for shorter sentences.
Testimonials and Awards
Oprah's Book Club 2.0
"This is a charmer. Its heroine, [with] her quirky survivor's voice, seizes our attention with the book's stunning first sentence and never thereafter loses it." -USA Today