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Gr 4-8 Reminiscent of White's Belle Prater's Boy (Farrar, 1996), this first-person narrative is set in Appalachia in the 1950s and told in the lilting tones of Kentucky hill-country speech. Carolina Collins is the youngest of four daughters, all of whom seem to have found what is special about them. Kentucky, the oldest at 14, is the most popular; 12-year-old Virginia is the prettiest; and Georgia, at 11, is the smartest. Mama, a single mother, works hard but indulges the girls' whims to the point that money goes toward a movie matinee rather than...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

In her usual down-home, approachable style, White offers up a novel that may have a minimum of plot but doesn't stint on appealing characters or eloquently crafted images of 1950s life in the Kentucky hills. The story's heart is the title character, a personable thirteen-year-old orphan who famously acquired his nickname by eating a live tadpole on a dare. All four of his cousins—sisters Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia, and Carolina—are thrilled to see him when he shows up on their front porch after running away from his...Log In or Sign Up to Read More