Newbery Honor Award 1997
White, R. (1996). Belle Prater's boy. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White takes place in Coal Station, Virginia. Woodrow comes to live with his grandparents when his mother disappears. Gypsy, his cousin lives next door and wants to know what Woodrow thinks happened to his mother. Woodrow seems to accept that his mother is gone, but Gypsy struggles to deal with the death of her father. They become friends and share adventures with Blind Benny, help with the annual Debutante Garden Party, have a wienie roast, and eventually they both deal with their loss. There is a sequel to this book called The Search for Belle Prater.
I love this book. I find that kids enjoy it too because the setting is similar to their own. It's next on my list to reread when I finish The Thief Lord.
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