short tale set in 1947 Tennessee. The day Jane's abusive daddy was buried, was also the day the first negroes came to town. After a tragic fire, Jane's mama takes in the orphaned black boy, Milo, raising him as her own with some of the town not too kind about this turn of events ( )

Sweet story of a young girl whose best friend is Henry, the owner of General Store. This book is not overly religious. Recommended ( )

It's 1947. Nine-year-old Jane Gable first lays eyes on Milo Turner the day her alcoholic and abusive father is laid to rest. The Turner family is the first black family to live in Morgan Hill and Jane can't understand why people are so bitter. For Jane and her brother John, Milo is just a new friend and playmate.

Then tragedy strikes the Turner family and the Gables are asked to make a decision that could rip their family apart. One path may open up a whole new world for them and bring them closer together, the other may bring them trouble and heartache. As Jane struggles to make sense of the many changes that have come to her community, she will discover that she is surrounded by many angels who are ready to help her in the most ordinary and extraordinary ways.

I really liked this book and thought that it was a very easy read. I enjoyed this book so much because everything comes right. This is the second time that I've read this book and I give it an A+! ( )

I loved this book. it shows how a white family befriends a black family. But because of racial discrimination, the befriended family dies, leaving a young boy behind. The white family adopts the young orphaned boy. The father of the white family died a couple of years before, so it was up to the mother to raise the children. It is so beautiful how the main character believes in the right of people, although sometimes rude, she will fight for her new adopted brother. People made fun of the family, but the family ignores them and treats the adopted boy as one of their own. I really recommend to read this book. ( )

The Angels of Morgan Hill, by Donna Van Liere is an extremely sweet book that kept me turning the pages. The narrator shifts between a few characters but the principle narrator is Jane, a nine-year-old girl who has just lost her father. The story is set in the late 1940’s in a small town in Tennassee. The times are hard, the jobs are scarce, and life isn’t easy for the Gable family.

After Jane and John’s father dies, their mother, Fran, struggles to raise her kids while dealing with the news that there is another baby on the way. When a black family moves to town, the Gable family’s life is turned upside down. Fran forms a friendship with Addy, despite what people think.

I don’t want to give anything away but when the worst happens, the people of Morgan Hill come together to make things right. They are the Angels of Morgan Hill. The core group of characters are so wonderful to each other that it makes me long for a tight knit community like that.

While the ending was a little too neat and tidy, the story moved along at such a rapid pace, with so much happening in the span of a year, it was a relief to have a tidy ending! I didn’t know what to expect from Donna Van Liere but I can say that this is a beautiful story with some good lessons. It isn’t perfect but it’s worth a read. ( )