Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com
Twelve-year-old Olivia "Livy Two" Weems can't quit worrying about the mean letters that the landlady keeps sending her family. Ever since the car wreck that left her musician father mentally addled, her mother has struggled to support their large family, who live in a small cabin in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.
Although Grandma Horace is currently staying with them to help out, Livy Two's grandmother keeps trying to convince Livy Two's mother that the whole family should leave Maggie Valley forever and join her in her home in Enka-Stinka, the factory town where Livy Two's mother grew up. Not one member of the Weems family wants to leave Maggie Valley, but Livy Two has a plan.
Her father left home at the age of fourteen to pursue his love of music and make it on his own playing the banjo. Ever since she and her father met Mr. George Flowers, the Nashville Music Man who complemented their songs and told them to "keep it up," Livy Two has kept up a regular correspondence with the agent, and even swiped one of her mother's handmade scarves to send him as a present. Her plan is to head to Nashville on her own to audition for Mr. George Flowers and sell him some of her songs.
If all goes well, she'll be back in a few days with money in her pocket, presents for her family, and the promise that they can now stay in Maggie Valley.
One night, Livy Two receives an unexpected sign. Grandma Horace has found the girlhood diary of Livy Two's mother, Jessie, who left everything behind when she ran off with Tom, Livy Two's father. Livy's grandmother gives her the diary as an early Christmas present, and Livy Two eagerly devours the entries as she learns of the carefree and fun girl that her mother used to be. Jessie Horace had some big dreams of her own, and it's time for Livy Two to make her own dreams come true, and help her family by making a bold move for Nashville, Music City, USA.
Although this is the third and final book about the Weems family, I fell right into this story, and crawled out eager for more. Livy Two serves as an endearing, distinctive narrator with an unforgettable voice, and the characters that surround her all prove to be individuals in their own right.
This is one author that does not disappoint when it comes to characters readers can care about.
Twelve-year-old Olivia "Livy Two" Weems can't quit worrying about the mean letters that the landlady keeps sending her family. Ever since the car wreck that left her musician father mentally addled, her mother has struggled to support their large family, who live in a small cabin in Maggie Valley, North Carolina.
Although Grandma Horace is currently staying with them to help out, Livy Two's grandmother keeps trying to convince Livy Two's mother that the whole family should leave Maggie Valley forever and join her in her home in Enka-Stinka, the factory town where Livy Two's mother grew up. Not one member of the Weems family wants to leave Maggie Valley, but Livy Two has a plan.
Her father left home at the age of fourteen to pursue his love of music and make it on his own playing the banjo. Ever since she and her father met Mr. George Flowers, the Nashville Music Man who complemented their songs and told them to "keep it up," Livy Two has kept up a regular correspondence with the agent, and even swiped one of her mother's handmade scarves to send him as a present. Her plan is to head to Nashville on her own to audition for Mr. George Flowers and sell him some of her songs.
If all goes well, she'll be back in a few days with money in her pocket, presents for her family, and the promise that they can now stay in Maggie Valley.
One night, Livy Two receives an unexpected sign. Grandma Horace has found the girlhood diary of Livy Two's mother, Jessie, who left everything behind when she ran off with Tom, Livy Two's father. Livy's grandmother gives her the diary as an early Christmas present, and Livy Two eagerly devours the entries as she learns of the carefree and fun girl that her mother used to be. Jessie Horace had some big dreams of her own, and it's time for Livy Two to make her own dreams come true, and help her family by making a bold move for Nashville, Music City, USA.
Although this is the third and final book about the Weems family, I fell right into this story, and crawled out eager for more. Livy Two serves as an endearing, distinctive narrator with an unforgettable voice, and the characters that surround her all prove to be individuals in their own right.
This is one author that does not disappoint when it comes to characters readers can care about.
