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Book Cover for: The Missing Pieces of Me, Jean Van Leeuwen

The Missing Pieces of Me

Jean Van Leeuwen

More than anything, ten-year-old Weezie wants to please her momma. She babysits her spoiled half-sister, Ruth Ann, and little Jackson. She makes tea for Momma in Gramma Emmeline's beautiful teapot. She even tries to cook dinner. But nothing turns out quite right. And Momma is never pleased. Hard times and a daddy who ran off before she was born seem to have stolen all of Momma's love.

If only Weezie could find her daddy, she's sure her life would be happier. Tired of making up stories about a parent she knows nothing about, Weezie teams up with her bike-riding buddy, Calvin, and new friend, Louella, to find her mysterious father. Does he drive a truck? Sing country and western songs? Why, her real daddy might even be better than the made-up father she's been telling lies about at school! Now, all she has to do is find him.

Jean Van Leeuwen's poignant, powerful novel introduces a feisty heroine whose brave search proves that even a life that's missing important pieces can be chock full of things that matter.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Two Lions
  • Publish Date: Aug 16th, 2016
  • Pages: 240
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.10in - 5.40in - 0.80in - 0.50lb
  • EAN: 9781477816189
  • Recommended age: 08-12
  • Categories: Social Themes - Self-Esteem & Self-RelianceSocial Themes - Emotions & FeelingsFamily - General (see also headings under Social Themes)

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About the Author

Van Leeuwen, Jean: -

Jean Van Leeuwen is the author of more than fifty children's books from picture books to beginning readers to middle-grade fiction, including The Great Cheese Conspiracy and Five Funny Bunnies: Three Bouncing Tales, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Her books have won numerous awards, including the William Allen White Award, the South Carolina Children's Book Award, the Washington Irving Children's Choice Award, and many ALA Notable Book citations. Her popular Oliver and Amanda Pig Easy-to-Read series was called "timeless as the truths of childhood" by the New York Times. A former children's book editor, she lives in Chappaqua, New York.

More books by Jean Van Leeuwen

Book Cover for: Bound for Oregon, Jean Van Leeuwen
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Book Cover for: Amanda Pig, First Grader, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Cabin on Trouble Creek, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Amanda Pig on Her Own, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Tales of Amanda Pig: Level 2, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Oliver and Amanda and the Big Snow, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Oliver Amanda and Grandmother Pig, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: More Tales of Amanda Pig, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Amanda Pig and the Wiggly Tooth, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Amanda Pig, Schoolgirl, Jean Van Leeuwen
Book Cover for: Going West, Jean Van Leeuwen
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Praise for this book

"[T]his quiet book reveals the capacity for good within the characters...and leaves readers with a sense of empathy and understanding about the importance of self-confidence." --School Library Journal (starred review)

"This tightly written chapter book has just the right amount of pathos for middle-grade readers." --Kirkus Reviews

"Van Leeuwen avoids a happy ending that would ring false with the novel's unstinting realism, but Weezie's newfound strength and her growing understanding of the murkiness of life and love make for a satisfying finish." --Publishers Weekly

"Readers drawn by Weezie's matter-of-fact narrative will come away admiring her resilience and grit..." --Booklist