Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel
Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel
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Square Fish
Annotation: After the sudden death of her parents, Stevie, thirteen, is sent to live at a rundown motel, where she charms everyone except her estranged grandfather.
 
Reviews: 5
Catalog Number: #171290
Format: Perma-Bound Edition
Publisher: Square Fish
Copyright Date: 2018
Edition Date: 2018 Release Date: 07/03/18
Pages: 328 pages
ISBN: Publisher: 1-250-14404-3 Perma-Bound: 0-7804-3174-X
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-1-250-14404-1 Perma-Bound: 978-0-7804-3174-4
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2016027032
Dimensions: 18 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist

Holt (Dear Hank Williams, 2015) once again returns to the South to tell a tender, character-driven story, this time of a girl discovering her roots. When a tragic accident claims 13-year-old Stevie Grace's parents, she finds herself on a bus to her new home: the Texas Sunrise Motel, owned by a grandfather she didn't know she had. An unusual cast of individuals awaits her, from Violet, a motel employee obsessed with classic Hollywood movies, to Mrs. Crump, Stevie's narcoleptic teacher, to the wheelchair-bound couple who call the Texas Sunrise home t to mention her prickly, aloof grandfather. As Stevie gets to know the town's residents, she also uncovers stories about her parents that shine a new light on who they were and effectively expand Stevie's notion of family. Stevie is a bit of an Anne Shirley in the way she shakes up life at the Texas Sunset, and through her Holt offers a positive portrayal of finding one's feet after experiencing loss. This gently told narrative will appeal to readers of heartfelt, realistic fiction.

Horn Book

Thirteen-year-old Stevie Grace Tanner's parents' sudden deaths uncover a maternal grandfather, crotchety Winston, who lets Stevie live with him at his rundown Texas motel. The two tiptoe around each other as Stevie tries gently to pry out information about her mother's early life and find the "heart in that man's chest." Stevie's character is deep and complex enough to propel the familiar plot.

Kirkus Reviews

Thirteen-year-old Stevie thought her mother's father was dead—until her parents' unexpected deaths result in her traveling from New Mexico to her grandfather's motel in Texas.Olive-skinned, blue-eyed Stevie recounts in present tense the months following her parents' deaths. On board the bus to meet her grandfather, a clear picture emerges of her previous life with her parents, farmers with a small farm and a roadside stand. By the time she has reached the bus station, readers have learned some of her background and her dreams—and that the only taboo topic in her happy home was her parents' families. As she meets her grandfather, his employees, and the disabled couple who permanently occupies one of the run-down motel's rooms, Stevie rises to the occasion of forging a new life for herself, partly by using her gardening skills. She processes her grief and her new relationships with a winning combination of grace, mistakes, humor, contemplation, and determination. By the end of less than a year, many positive changes have occurred. The one disappointment for readers is best summed up by Stevie after her grandfather has finally answered many of her questions about her parents: "I thought his telling me more about what happened would answer everything. But it's like he's given me a jigsaw puzzle with pieces missing." Endearing and imperfect, Stevie establishes immediate rapport with readers. (Fiction. 10-13)

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6 With well-established skill and insight, Holt introduces middle grade readers to another appealing adolescent, 13-year-old Stevie Grace. Stevie's uncomplicated, insulated life with her loving, earthy, retro parents is ripped apart when a drunk driver careens into her mother and father's flower and fruit stand, killing them both. Suddenly, Stevie is on a bus headed toward her maternal grandfather, Winston, and about to discover a family history she never knew existed. A motley cast of characters await her at her grandfather's establishment, the dilapidated Texas Sunrise Motel. As Stevie struggles to understand her grandfather's emotional indifference and high expectations, she uncovers her mother's past through local townspeople: aging, narcoleptic Mrs. Crump, once her mother's teacher; Arlo and son Roy, who maintain the motel; Violet, a fashionista who loves movie marathons; and Horace and Ida, permanent motel residents who each have disabilities. When a letter arrives from the family of Stevie's father, Stevie visits Louisiana and a houseful of chatty, affectionate relatives who share memories of her father and invite her to stay. But Stevie is drawn back to the motel, where a new garden and her welcoming grandfather await her. Stevie's journey is deftly narrated with candor, angst, and compassion. Character portraits are diverse and well drawn. Stevie's small town life, from Taos, NM, to Little Esther, TX, is rich in family secrets, quiet discoveries, and evolving relationships. Universal themes of grief, family, love, and loyalty are conveyed through the understated prose. VERDICT Stevie's realizations and emotional growth are orderly, often predictable, but her fresh voice, keen observations, and youthful resilience resonate. A solid addition for most middle grade collections. Gerry Larson, formerly at Durham School of the Arts, NC

Word Count: 53,734
Reading Level: 4.2
Interest Level: 4-7
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 4.2 / points: 8.0 / quiz: 187733 / grade: Middle Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:4.5 / points:14.0 / quiz:Q70399
Lexile: HL620L

Twelve-year-old Stevie attempts to brighten the lives of her cranky grandfather and the residents of his motel by planting a garden in this middle grade novel by National Book Award-winning author Kimberly Willis Holt. Stevie's world changes drastically when her parents are tragically killed and she is forced to live with her estranged grandfather at his run-down motel. After failed attempts to connect with her grandfather, Stevie befriends the colorful motel tenants and neighbors. Together, they decide to bring some color and life to the motel by planting a flower garden, against Stevie's grandfather's wishes. It will take Stevie's departure before her grandfather realizes just how needed she is by everyone. Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel explores themes of loss, family, and love, and gets at the heart of what it means to find a place to call home. A Christy Ottaviano Book "Endearing and imperfect, Stevie establishes immediate rapport with readers." -- Kirkus Reviews More from Kimberly Willis Holt: Skinny Brown Dog Dear Hank Williams Dinner with the Highbrows The Water Seeker Keeper of the Night When Zachary Beaver Came to Town The Piper Reed series: Piper Reed, Navy Brat Piper Reed, Clubhouse Queen Piper Reed Gets a Job Piper Reed, Party Planner Piper Reed, Campfire Girl Piper Reed, Rodeo Star Piper Reed, Forever Friend


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