This entire book was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I loved every minute of it. Even reading this book as an adult, I can appreciate the inner turmoil that Weezie must have went through. I know exactly how it feels to believe that one of your parents hates you, and I found myself relating to her quite frequently while I read this book. This was a definite page-turner, and I appreciate the author allowing me to get to know Weezie and learn of her adventures. ( )

Weezie (Grace Louise) lives with her mother and step brother Jackson and step sister Ruth Ann in a trailer court and dreams of finding a father she knows nothing about. Still grieving after the recent death of her grandmother who loved and understood her, she desperately tries to please her overworked mother who often calls her a bad girl and whom it seems she can never please. Discovering a picture among her mother’s things who Weezie is convinced is her father, she sets off on a quest with her best friend Calvin and new friend Louella to try to find him. This powerful story, written for tweens, is one of love, hope, friendship, and the incredible resiliency of the human spirit.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
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You've heard of Blaxsploitation? Well, the author here is similarly exploiting the stories of people she sees as 'trailer trash' and 'poor but proud' and even 'young hip art teacher.' I got to 1/3 and saw only stereotypical characters and a plot that's been done to death. I thought we were done with 'issues' books, especially about simple things like your mom not telling you who your father is. Too bad, cuz the cover is gorgeous.

Btw, I seldom rate books I don't finish, but I did also read the last several pages of this, and though the MC apparently (and predictably) experienced a redemption, the book didn't. ( )

I enjoyed this book, but thought that it was a pretty heavy topic for children and might be more appropriate for older children. In this book, the ten year old protagonist, Weezie, sets out on a quest to find her biological father. This man left her mother before Weezie was even born. She believes that he had taken all her mothers love with him when he left, and thus her mother does not have any love left for her. She is determined to find her father and have an amazing parent that she can brag about to school. The book starts off on a very upsetting note. The mother, who is overworked and depressed, constantly verbally assaults her daughter, making her feel useless and worthless: “Get out of my sight, I can’t stand to look at you.” Her mother is a very sad person who has lost a lot of things in her life. Right from the start of the book, the reader learns that she has lost both her significant others with whom she had three children in total, her mother, her jobs, and her happiness. Weezie, as a result, is a very troubled child. She feels the need to do everything “perfectly” to please her mother, which never works out and just makes her seem to hate Weezie more. She is always sad, is bullied at school, and feels the need to make up stories about what her father might be doing. Weezie is very mature for her age and has a lot of worries that all regard helping around the house and with her younger siblings to lessen the load of her mother’s burdens. The concept of the story is very dark and upsetting, even for an adult like me. Young children might not understand everything that goes on in this book, however, I don’t know how offensive it may be for an older reader. Regardless of the content, the writing was really well done and it was interesting to learn about the lives of a child how lives in a trailer park in the south. The characters all are very expressive and have powerful voice throughout the story. The last thing I really enjoyed about this story was the character development, especially that of the mother. Weezie has very fond memories of her mother when she still loved her, of her mother giving her the “biggest, brightest smiles.” It is interesting how hard times can affect a human in such drastic ways to cause depression and bitterness. However, I absolutely hated the ending of this book. After finding out that her father is dead, Weezie and her mother do not mend their relationship. The story ends with Weezie deciding that her mother is wrong about saying Weezie is a bad girl. It is sad that by the end of the book, her mother still hates her and nothing is better in Weezie’s life. ( )