Sweetness All Around
by Suzanne Supplee (Author)
An indomitable heroine who believes she is destined to find her kidnapped neighbor leads this warm, big-hearted story with irresistible characters and a captivating mystery.
Almost-eleven-year-old Josephine is NOT pleased to be moving into the Happy World trailer park over the summer of 1974. She misses her beautiful bedroom with ballerinas on the wall and her pretty, well-dressed friends. Happy World isn't happy. It's dingy and depressing! Nothing like the world that headstrong Josephine wants for herself.
But when Josephine learns that her would-be next door neighbor in Happy World was kidnapped months ago, she develops a begrudging interest in her new home. A kidnapping is exciting--and all signs point to Josephine being meant to find ten-year-old Molly.
Despite her efforts to stay detached, Josephine investigates Molly's disappearance with help from the eccentric cast of characters living in Happy World. It turns out the rough edges of her community are softer and sweeter than they first seemed. And the unexpected friendships she forms might be more precious than anything she's ever owned.
In her extraordinary middle grade debut, Suzanne Supplee brings a small Tennessee town and its memorable residents to life. Perfect for daydreamers and unstoppable imaginations. Hand this beautiful, bursting-with-feelings read to fans of Kate DiCamillo's Raymie Nightingale series.
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Kirkus
Colorfully relayed and gratifying to read.
ALA/Booklist
Publishers Weekly
Following a devastating warehouse fire that destroys her mother's sewing business in Tennessee, 10-year-old Josephine Willoughby and her mama must move into Happy World Trailer Park ("Dandiest Little Place on Earth!"), leaving behind what Jo thinks of as their "pretty life." A "rusty pipe fixing to burst" after the event, Jo is impulsive and sharp-tongued, mourning the sudden relocation and the loss of her friends. She nevertheless forges a reluctant bond with neighbor Lisa Marie, who introduces Jo to the park's rhythms and residents, including Lisa Marie's tender great-uncle Buster Lee as well as withdrawn Helen-Dove, whose daughter Molly was kidnapped a year earlier. As Jo spends the summer of 1974 on outings with Lisa Marie and accompanying her loving and pragmatic mama on seamstress jobs, Molly's disappearance is never far from her mind, and she's drawn to investigate the girl's whereabouts, despite warnings. Brimming with 1970s references and featuring a vivid setting and flawed, richly drawn characters, this immersive middle grade debut from Supplee (Somebody Everybody Listens To) offers up an eloquent portrayal of life's variability through a protagonist learning to search for the "sweetness in this life." Most characters default to white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Oct.)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
JUV024000 - Juvenile Fiction | Lifestyles | Country Life
JUV016000 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | General
Mystery and detective stories
Missing children
Detective and mystery fiction
Novels
Mobile home living
