Blister - Softcover

1. A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book and an ALA Notable
2. A Children's Book Sense 76 Selection
3. Now featuring After Words bonus material!
4. Blister is a feisty, believable, well-written character whom readers will love
5. Eye-catching cover art is fun and sassy

Gr 4-6-When Alyssa Reed's long-awaited sister is born dead, the 10-year-old hides in the willow tree in the yard. This is only the beginning of her isolation. Her mother is deeply depressed and is briefly institutionalized. Her father, who had been spending more and more time away from the family before the pregnancy, decides to leave, after moving his wife and daughter from their old farmhouse into a small apartment. Alyssa changes her name to Blister, and she sets out to reinvent herself in order to become one of the popular fifth-grade girls at her new school. When she finds a suitcase full of women's clothes and jewelry under her father's bed, she takes them and makes them part of her new image, hoping to force her father to admit to having a girlfriend. Although nothing-even her attempts to make the cheerleading squad-goes according to plan, Blister constantly proves that she is "elastic," and bounces back. Shreve pulls no punches in this all-too-believable story. The sharp, detailed descriptions capture the youngster's every thought and emotion as she realizes the ineffectuality of her parents and struggles to gain some control over her life. Although she takes center stage, all of the characters are perfectly drawn, from her helpless, despondent mother to her eccentric, spirited grandmother, who teaches the child the importance of resilience. While this is definitely not a light, entertaining story, readers will find themselves cheering for a remarkable girl they will not soon forget.

Ashley Larsen, Woodside Library, CA

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