Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel

December 1, 2016
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)

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January 1, 2017

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

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
Grades 4-7 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 homenot 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

March 1, 2017
When thirteen-year-old Stevie Grace Tanner's parents are killed in a freak accident, their deaths uncover a wealth of family secretssuch as the existence of a maternal grandfather, Winston Himmel, who has agreed to let Stevie live with him. This private and crotchety old man presides over a rundown motel in Little Esther, Texas, where Stevie's mom grew up. Winston barely acknowledges his granddaughter's presence; the two tiptoe around each other as Stevie tries gently to pry out information about her mother's early life and understand the roots of Winston's rift with her father. Stevie knows Little Esther will be her home; she's got to make the best of it; and she must find what Winston has buried, the heart in that man's chest. But not knowing about the past leads her to misinterpretand repeatit. Here, middle-grade readers are in familiar territory as they watch an energetic young girl try to build a family among a quirky cast of local players, but it's a story that only works if Stevie's character is deep and complex enough to propel the plot. It is. Her first-person narration maintains an honest point of view, and her reactions are consistent and believable. Holt crafts a satisfying arc of growth and redemption. betty carter

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)