Hope in the Holler
Page 16
“C’mon, Wavie!” Gilbert yelled from the backyard. “Train’s coming. I got you a rock to throw!”
I stood up and put the pot on the porch steps. It was past blooming season, but one faded blossom remained. The scent of it drifted on the breeze, tickling my nose.
Mama couldn’t wait to get out of Conley Holler, but I thought she’d like it now. I looked down the hill toward the river. It didn’t just look different, it felt different. I could see that there was always hope in the Holler. Where I ended up wasn’t as important as who I ended up with. I didn’t have her, and I would feel that not forever, but that wasn’t the end of my story. WAVIE, CAMILLE, GILBERT, BAILY, FRANK, BOWMAN—I could make all kinds of great words out of those. Words like LOVE, FAMILY, LIFE and LIVING, to name a few. Mama had been right, good friends could be like a family.
“I’m finding it, Mama,” I whispered. “I’m making a good life.”
The coal train came around the bend, its whistle blowing, and I imagined her smiling, watching me down below. LIVING.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Sitting in front of the computer and writing may be a solitary pursuit, but producing a finished novel is anything but. I am forever grateful to the numerous people who helped this book come to life.
JD, you were a fan of Wavie from the get-go, and your unrelenting optimism and encouragement helped me beyond measure. Thank you, Rachel, for allowing me to be distracted for huge chunks of time without resentment. The two of you are my heart.
To my amazing editor, Nancy Paulsen—Wavie and the folks in the Holler were mere shadows of their current selves until they met you. I am so grateful for your wisdom and guidance. Thank you, Sara LaFleur, Chandra Wohleber and the entire team at Nancy Paulsen Books for your invaluable help. Thanks, Dawn Cooper, for the amazing cover. You captured the Holler perfectly.
Susan Hawk, I still can’t believe that you’re my agent and friend. This wonderful journey started with you. Thank you for believing in me.
Critique groups are essential and I love mine. Thank you, Kim Zachman, Debbie D’Aurelio, Kevin Springer, Alison Hertz, Kristine Anderson, Danny Schnitzlein, Lela Bridgers, Patti Pruitt and Beth O’Neal for your feedback and your friendship. A special thanks goes to honorary member Valerie Nelan for reading that early first draft and for always being my partner-in-crime at SCBWI functions.
To Sheila and Ed Fortier, thank you for sharing your story so generously with me. Your heart for adoption has been a beautiful thing to witness.
Writing a second book is different from the first, and there were nights I didn’t believe I could do it. I woke up every morning praying, “God is faithful,” over and over. He was and He is.
Thank you, dear reader, for choosing to spend time with Wavie and the gang. You got as much right to a good life as anybody. Go find it!
PRAISE FOR LISA LEWIS TYRE’S
Last in a Long Line of Rebels
“Accomplished debut. . . . Strong secondary characters, including Lou’s thrice-divorced flirtatious grandmother, help build the strong sense of small-town community. Tyre masterfully weaves historical details into Lou’s discoveries in ways that never feel facile, while deftly and satisfyingly resolving past and present puzzles.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Determined to save her home, which has been in her family since before the Civil War, Lou musters her Southern girl pluck and sets out on a quest to find the gold rumored to exist somewhere on the property. Along the way, her family’s proverbial skeletons come out of the closet, leaving Lou to wrangle with issues of identity and morality. . . . The rumors of the gold, a found diary, and the arrival of a visitor strangely interested in Lou’s house add up to an engaging amateur sleuth story, complete with a satisfying ending.”
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Middle school readers will gain an appreciation for history and mystery as Lou and her friends attempt to unravel her family’s tangled past. . . . As they search for clues, they begin to see how the past is closely linked to the present and that injustice did not stop with the Civil War. The small southern town setting, the engaging characters, the well-developed plot, and the exciting resolution make this a charming coming-of-age debut novel. Diary entries add an authentic historical flavor.”
—School Library Connection
“The characters are true to life. . . . In the midst of solving a Civil War–era mystery, Lou and her friends confront racism in their own time. Lou feels deeply and is single-minded in her pursuit of justice. A solid debut novel for middle graders who enjoy a blend of history and mystery.”
—School Library Journal
“Excerpts from the diary make this feel like historical fiction; Louise Duncan Mayhew’s perspective in the 1860s is an intriguing contrast to Lou’s modern narration at the turn of the 21st century. . . . Addresses injustice in plain language that is accessible to young readers who enjoy whodunits.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Finding buried treasure, solving an old family mystery, and righting modern wrongs are a few things that push 12-year-old Louise Mayhew’s summer from boring to exciting. . . . Tyre’s debut features characters that are believable in their naïveté and sense of invincibility. . . . Should please middle-grade readers looking for a solid story with an intriguing historical connection.”
—Booklist
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