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Gr 4–6—With well-established skill and insight, Holt introduces middle grade readers to another appealing adolescent, 13-year-old Stevie Grace. Stevie's uncomplicated, insulated life with her loving, earthy, retro parents is ripped apart when a drunk driver careens into her mother and father's flower and fruit stand, killing them both. Suddenly, Stevie is on a bus headed toward her maternal grandfather, Winston, and about to discover a family history she never knew existed. A motley cast of characters await her at her grandfather's establishment, the dilapidated Texas Sunrise Motel. As Stevie struggles to understand ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

When thirteen-year-old Stevie Grace Tanner's parents are killed in a freak accident, their deaths uncover a wealth of family secrets-such as the existence of a maternal grandfather, Winston Himmel, who has agreed to let Stevie live with him. This private and crotchety old man presides over a rundown motel in Little Esther, Texas, where Stevie's mom grew up. Winston barely acknowledges his granddaughter's presence...Log In or Sign Up to Read More