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Pull in close, these two novels are about as sweet as they come. Both are about girls with big hearts who never give up no matter how tough life gets. Just the books to inspire girl readers to stand up for themselves and be proud of who they are.
R My Name is Rachel, by Patricia Reilly Giff, Wendy Lamb, $15.99, pages. Try as she might, Rachel can't forget all the sadness that's befallen her family. Pop's lost his job at the bank, he's rail-thin from worry, and now he's got devastating news for Rachel, 12, and her sister Cassie, 10, and brother Joey, 11. They're moving away from the city to an old farm -- away from Miss Mitzi with her light-up-the-world smile. Miss Mitzi runs a floral shop and she's been a comfort to Rachel with her mother passed away. Rachel knows Miss Mitzi and Pop are smitten with each other, but Pop's too proud about money to invite her along, no matter how hard Rachel urges him to. The morning they leave, Rachel tries to be strong; she plays the "A My Name is Alice" game to herself because all she has to do is concentrate on the alphabet. She likes that there are so many words she can choose from. If only her family's choices felt more like that. With the Great Depression bearing down, it's like someone "opened a plug and everyone's money went down the drain." And when they arrive at the new farm, all run-down, things only get harder. A snow storm keeps Pop from getting the job that brought them there. The school is closed (a terrible, aching sight for Rachel who loves to soak up learning). She and Cassie can't seem to agree on anything. And now Pop has to go away to find work and there's no telling when he'll be back. It's up to Rachel to look over the farm, and Cassie and Joey, but then something horrible happens: Cassie runs away and all the rent money disappears. Could ferns crowding a stream by their house lead them all to the end of a rainbow? Told through Rachel's eyes and the letters she and Miss Mitzi write to each other, this sweet, sweet book leaves readers feeling like their hearts could float right out of their chests. I know I was gliding through the rest of my day after reading it.
The Trouble with May Amelia (the sequel to the Newbery Honor book Our Only May Amelia), by Jennifer L. Holm, Simon & Schuster, $15.99, ages 9-12, 224 pages. May Amelia Jackson may be the only girl in a family of seven boys, but she's got more "sisu" than any of them. That's the word her Finnish family and other immigrants living in a wilderness town along Washington's Nasel River in 1900 use to mean guts and courage. But the thing is, Pappa thinks she's downright stupid; he's always spitting mad
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