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Kerry Madden
· Description
Living in a North Carolina holler with her parents and eight siblings, 12-year-old Livy Two is an aspiring songwriter and self-appointed guardian to her little sister Gentle, who is going blind. But when tragedy strikes, can Livy Two continue to stay strong for her family.
· Review Quotes/Appeal Factors:
STARRED KIRKUS REVIEW
GENTLE'S HOLLER
Author: Madden, Kerry
Review Date: FEBRUARY 15, 2005
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 237
Price (hardback): $15.99
Publication Date: 3/1/2005 0:00:00
ISBN: 0-670-05998-6
ISBN (hardback): 0-670-05998-6
Category: CHILDREN'S
A star is assigned to books of unusual merit, determined by the editors of Kirkus Reviews.
In her debut for young readers, Madden creates a warmhearted, compelling family drama about the Weems, circa early 1960s. They grow up poor in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, move often and settle in Maggie Valley, a "holler" filled with honeysuckle and wildflowers. Told from the keen-eyed point of view of 11-year-old Livy Two, one of nine children (the tenth, Livy One, died at birth), the story is layered with detai! ls of their mountain life, their struggles, crises and day-to-day moments of joy: "I get my songwriting from Daddy, who plans on selling a banjo hit any day now, so we can eat regular." And there's humor too. Livy Two is a dreamer, a reader, songwriter/guitar player; she has "an itch in [her] bones to visit exotic lands," and when it comes to her family, especially her three-year-old sister Gentle, who is diagnosed as blind, she's a resourceful and generous problem-solver. Though some of the plot elements strain credibility, the graceful, spirited and, above all, sensory richness of the writing make this work stand out. (Fiction. 9-12)
BOOK JACKET QUOTES
GENTLE'S HOLLER
Kerry Madden, like her heroine Livy Two, has a rare gift for words. From page one she makes the reader care deeply about this warm and compelling mountain family. The book is rich in detail about their simple pleasures and their trials. I loved the family and the book." --Betsy Byars, Newberry Medal Winner of The Summer of the Swans. "Although spiked with sad and even tragic times, the book is filled with the kind of characters we all fall in love with, the story glows with warm and tender feelings that are ultimately what we all hope to instill in our children." --Audrey Couloumbis, Newberry Honor Winner of Getting Nearer to Baby.
"Visit Gentle's Holler in the company of 12-year old aspiring songwriter Livy Two Weems, and you won't ever want to leave. Both heartfelt and heartbreaking, Gentle's Holler is a story of music, mountains and the everyday magic of love. It's a story that's rich and true, and Livy Two, Gentle, Uncle Hazard, and the rest of the rambunctious Weems clan will stay with you long after you turn the last page." --Jennifer Donnelly, Winner of the Carnegie Mellon Award and LA TIMES Book Prize for A Northern Light"Country life is as unfamiliar to me as life on Mars, but with Livy Two as my guide, I found it fascinating. I trusted her completely. And I would have happily followed her anywhere. I envy anyone who has yet to meet her for the first time." --Amy Goldman Koss, Maud Hart Lovelace Finalist and author of The Girls
This book is the genuine article. Its lively humor and mountain poverty are married flawlessly. Its heroine, Livy Two is as bone-real and as endearing as Kate DiCamillo's Opal in "Because of Winn Dixie." --Rosemary Wells, author of Mary on Horseback, Noisy Nora, Max & Ruby stories
· What is it about this book that would appeal to a reader?
GENTLES HOLLER is the story of a young girl from the Great Smoky Mountains, coming to terms with life in a large family and her desire to create her own adventures beyond the holler. Set in 1962 Appalachia Livy Two Weems finds her stories through her guitar,and youngs readers everywhere will find they, too have a voice and stories to discover.· What other books are like it?
WHERE THE LILY BLOOMS, WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS...It's been compared to LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.
· What does this work have in common with other works in the same genre?
Livy Two Weems has a strong narrative voice and sense of adventure much like Laura Ingalls. Uncle Hazard, her beloved dog who lives in a pinecone palace, is a fiesty character in much the same vein as Old Dan and Little Ann from WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. Like WHERE THE LILIES BLOOM, GENTLE'S HOLLER is set in the mountains, and Livy Two has a slew of siblings living in this mountain holler.
· How is this work different from other works in the same genre?
It's set in 1962, so it's more modern, but the family is very isolated in the mountains. Livy Two Weems is a songwriter, and she tells the stories of her mountain family through songs. She also talks to her sister, the first Livy, who died at birth about her problems. She's crazy about her daddy who wants to sell a banjo hit, and he gives her the courage to sing songs at a festival.
· What would you like readers to know about you/your work?
Instead of traditional readings and signings, I am going to do writing workshops with kids to help them discover their own voice as storytellers. I have a website at www.kerrymadden.com that will have a "writing idea of the month" every month for kids to dream of their own stories and poems.
· What’s next, what can readers look forward to in the future?
I'm working on Livy Two's brother's story called GHOST TOWN DAYS. Emmette Weems runs off to work at a theme park called GHOST TOWN IN THE SKY and lives with his great uncle, who steals his paychecks to pay his poker debts.
· Suggested reading (viewing, listening) - what have you liked, disliked recently?
My favorite book lately is THE LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt. My favorite album is Loretta Lynn's & Jack White's VAN LEAR ROSE...and my favorite film is a Swedish film called ELLING, about the friendship between two mental patients who get to leave the institution and go into mainstream society. It's a beautiful film.
· Links:
· Please include email address so readers may contact you directly. kiffnkerry@sbcglobal.net
· Any additional information you'd like to provide to readers?
My husband, Kiffen, inspired the story of GENTLE'S HOLLER as he grew up one of 13 children in Tennessee and North Carolina. Our three children were great readers and editors of the book.
· Author: Kerry Madden
· Title: GENTLE'S HOLLER
· Publisher: Viking Children's Books
· Publication Date: March 3, 2005
· ISBN: 0670059986
· $16.99
· # pages: 237 pages
· Genre: Children's Chapter Books, ages 9-12
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