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Gr 3–5—Rosie has had a very difficult year. That's what her fifth grade teacher writes in the comment section of her report card, and it's true. Until now, Rosie has lived a charmed existence with her doughnut shop—owning, book-loving father and her very bad (but very lovable) dog, Augustus. But then one terrible day, her father has a stroke and Rosie is forced to live with her tough-as-nails, anchovy-eating grandfather. Things become even more unbearable when her estranged mother makes a quick trip fro...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

In her latest study of a young girl in crisis, Fusco's (Beholding Bee, rev. 5/13) setting of a town on the border of a huge sandpit serves as a metaphor for the main character. Rosie's life is indeed the pits: her father has suffered a debilitating stroke, her mother has moved away for fame and fortune, and her gruff grandfather takes care of her seemingly begrudgingly. But her papa always told Rosie she had grit, and here she sho...Log In or Sign Up to Read More