Waiting on Wednesday (35)

Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham

A young girl sets out to save her sick mother and records her adventures in quilt pieces.


Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but she can still put in a good stitch. Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things go wrong.


But when Mama goes into labor early and gets deathly ill, it seems like even quilting won’t help. That’s when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic—leave Gee’s Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine that can only be found miles away in Camden. But that doesn’t stop Ludelphia. She just puts one foot in front of the other.


What ensues is a wonderful, riveting and sometimes dangerous adventure. Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mother proud, and ends up saving the day for her entire town.


Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, Leaving Gee’s Bend is a delightful, satisfying story of a young girl facing a brave new world. [summary from Goodreads]

I'm not a big historical fiction reader, but I REALLY love middle-grade historical fiction that features a protagonist with a strong voice, vivid period details, and a heart-wrenching sense of obstacle and eventual triumph. Leaving Gee's Bend sounds like it will have all of that! Plus, I love when books have physically disabled protagonists: too often protagonists are physically perfect, even if they themselves don't think so or realize it. Middle-grade fiction is going incredibly strong these days, and this book sounds like it will be yet another treasured addition to the shelves! Oh! and also, the cover is gorgeous. I mean, look at it. Sooo pretty and attention-worthy. I love it!

Leaving Gee's Bend will be published by Putnam Juvenile on January 7, 2010.

What are YOU waiting on this Wednesday?