  | Lonely heart of Maybelle Lane Author: O'Shaughnessy, Kate | |
| Price: $21.88 | ||
Summary:
Maybelle Lane is looking for her father, but on the road to Nashville she finds so much more: courage, brains, heart--and true friends.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.40 Points: 9.0 Quiz: 511235 |
Reviews:
School Library Journal (02/01/20)
Booklist (03/01/20)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 02/01/2020 Gr 4 Up–Eleven-year-old Maybelle Lane has never met her father. Everything she knows of him comes from one voicemail, and her Momma saying he'll just break her heart. When Maybelle discovers he is a radio DJ and will be judging a singing competition in Nashville, she signs up instantly. Even better, the event lines up perfectly with her Momma's month-long work trip. During her mother's absence, Maybelle is placed under the care of her rigid neighbor, Mrs. Boggs. She devises a plan to make it to Nashville on her own, yet when her plan goes awry, Mrs. Boggs ends up accompanying her on the road. Joined by their neighbor Tommy, the trio sets off on a quest filled with courage, a dog named Pickles, and unexpected friendship. O'Shaughnessy's debut is illuminated by characters each brimming with charm and grit while coping with deeper scars. Readers will cheer on plucky Maybelle and will empathize with her anxiety attacks and her being bullied for her mother's sexuality. Perfectly paced with a few surprise twists, this novel layers themes of resilience and finding love in unexpected places. VERDICT A recommended purchase, this novel will be welcomed into the hearts of many readers.—Amy McInerney, Falmouth Elementary School, ME - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 03/01/2020 Eleven-year-old Maybelle Lane is a collector of sounds, the most treasured of which is the voice of the father she has never met on an old cell phone that belongs to her mother. One day, she hears her father’s voice on a radio show announcing he is judging a singing contest in Nashville, Tennessee. To Maybelle, this is the sound of fate, and she impulsively signs up for the contest without knowing how she'll get to Nashville or who will take her, since her mom is away working on a cruise ship in the Bahamas. Thus begins a road trip from Louisiana to Tennessee with two of her neighbors, who agree to take her—the stern yet kind Mrs. Boggs and Tommy O’Brien, the neighborhood bully. The zany ups and downs of this story will have readers cheering for Maybelle, even when things do not go the way she planned. O’Shaughnessy creates a whimsical world where words and sounds carry everyday magic in her debut novel. Hand to fans of Kate DiCamillo. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.
