Shimko, B. (2010). The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye. Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York.
Plot
Amelia has a mother who hates her, an older brother and sister who have never bothered to meet her, a father who ran off with a younger girl, and absolutely no friends. When Amelia meets Fancy Nelson for the first time, she knows that she has found her first true friend. The fact that Fancy is African American means nothing to Fancy, but unfortunantley, it means a whole lot to The rest of the world in the 1960's.
Readers follow the begiining of the beautiful friendship between Fancy and Amelia and the different layers of family and friendship. When Amelia's grandfather suffers a stroke she is left with absolutley nothing to hold onto except for her friend Fancy and Fancy's mysterious neighbor next door.
Review
This book was my first love of 2011. The story is so simple, yet so powerful when readers are taken through the turmoil of the 1960's and the terrible upbringing of Amelia E. Rye. Despite this, Amelia is a tween's heroine. She is a smart, fiesty, and determined kid who shoots for the moon regardless of the cards that are stacked against her. Bonnie Shimko brilliantly weaves her cast of characters to develop the instrict storyline into the central theme. A must read of 2011.
Genre
Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Interest Level
Tween/ 9-12 years/ 4th - 7th grade
Similar Books
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
Awards
The Private Thoughts of Amelia E. Rye was included in the American Library Association's "2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults.
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