Bookverdict.com

Gr 5-9 Wiles revisits the rural Mississippi setting of "Love, Ruby Lavender" (2001) and "Each Little Bird That Sings" (2005, both Harcourt). House Jackson, 12, lives to pitch and still mourns the death of his mother six years earlier. "Swallow your toads early in the day," she would say. Now, House's "toads" include the death of a mysterious 88-year-old neighbor, the town's bicentennial pageant, and, worst of all, Frances Shotz. The previous summer, a collision with the 14-year-old left House with a broken elbow and canceled h...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Before she died, House Jackson's mother gave him this advice: "Swallow your toads early in the day, and get the hardest things over with first." This summer, House finds himself swallowing a lot of toads, the most notable of which is young Miss Frances Schotz. The year before, Frances pirouetted into House and broke his elbow, thus eliminating him from the baseball game his team plays every Fo...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Bossy Frances Schotz's plans for a Fourth of July pageant threaten to deny House Jackson and his teammates their annual baseball ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More