Flip-Flop Girl

Uprooted following the death of their father, nine-year-old Vinnie and her five-year-old brother, Mason, cope in different ways--one in silence--but both with the help of Lupe, the flip-flop girl.

Uprooted following the death of their father, nine-year-old Vinnie and her five-year-old brother, Mason, cope in different ways--one in silence--but both with the help of Lupe, the flip-flop girl.

Publishers Weekly

Torn apart by the recent death of her father, 10-year-old Vinnie does not look forward to moving from D.C. to Virginia and starting a new life in Brownsville (a town as dull as its name) with her stressed-out mother and ``crazy'' younger brother, Mason, who has not spoken a word since the funeral. Sharing her dreary grandmother's cramped house is bad enough, but going to a new school proves even less bearable. The only classmate to show her any kindness is Lupe, herself ostracized by the others. Like Lyddie, the eponymous heroine of the author's previous novel, Vinnie finds a refuge from emotional pain in fantasy, but when the object of her romantic dreams, gentle teacher Mr. Clayton, announces his upcoming marriage, she feels betrayed. Enraged, she scratches Mr. Clayton's beautifully painted car--whereupon her remorse teaches her the destructive effects of her anger, allowing her to come to terms with her problems and to open her eyes to other people's suffering. A master of rendering the intensity of childhood emotions, Paterson explores the impact of grief and the slow process of healing. With deep compassion, her story crystallizes the vulnerability and resiliency of preadolescents placed in tragic circumstances. Ages 8-10. (Feb.)

Katherine Paterson was born in China, where she spent part of her childhood. After her education in China and the American South, she spent four years in Japan, the setting for her first three novels. Ms. Paterson has received numerous awards for her writing, including National Book Awards for The Master Puppeteer and The Great Gilly Hopkins, as well as Newbery Medals for Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia. Ms. Paterson lives with her husband in Vermont. They have four grown children.