My Louisiana Sky

Great book. Required reading for 4th grade.

Story is about a girl named Tiger Anne who’s parents are “simple minded” it’s such an amazing story about love and family. I cried and cried and cried

This is an excellent coming-of-age story, about a country girl named Tiger Ann Parker during the fifties. Her parents are considered "slow." Tiger's grandmother holds the family together, but even the best people can't live forever. Tiger yearns to fit in with the girls in her class, but feels sensitive about her mother, Corrine, who has the mental age of a six-year-old. Tiger has one good friend, Jesse Wade, who is the son of her father's employer. After her grandmother's unexpected passing, Tiger's stylish aunt, Corrine's younger sister, sweeps in from Baton Rouge with the intention to straighten things out.I strongly recommend the 2001 movie with Kelsey Keel as Tiger Ann. This movie makes my list of movies better than the book. The casting is most excellent, and the minor changes made in the story only clarify and improve it. For example, when Tiger's father speaks to adults, he has a mild stammer. In my opinion, Lonnie Parker is not developmentally disabled as much as he is illiterate due to dyslexia. The setting is beautifully crafted; the clothing and cars are perfectly to date. Both the movie and the book take note of the racial inequalities of the time.

My son had to read this book for AR and I read it too. Being from Louisiana, this book brought back so many memories of me being raised in the county by my grandparents. I could not believe the “purple hull peas.” I did not want to put the book down.

When an author catches with words the same feelings the reader feels (or maybe vice versa) , that kind of writing goes beyond technical ability. When the author brings up memories and awareness of truths that move the reader's heart, that is art. Kimberly Willis Holt did that to me in Louisiana Sky, the story of a girl coming of age in a 1950's Louisiana small town. As her first novel of this kind, set in 1950's Louisiana, I found a few parts where superfluous words seemed to briefly interrupt the magic, but I quickly forgave these few small rough edges because the beauty of the story drew me right back in. Holt does a masterful job creating characters in their cultures and times, making them understandable, usually lovable, and sometimes hilarious. We care about her characters enough to want them to succeed, to understand, to resolve all the hidden secrets in their lives, and we want to live these things right along with them. If we as readers do, we come out of the book as better real people.

Tiger Ann Parker is the typical, unsure young girl that many are, except one thing, her mother has the mentality of a six year old, and her dad is considered slow as well. Although Tiger's parents struggle, Tiger herself is very smart, as well as athletic. Along with her straight A grade book, Tiger is an all-star on the baseball field, which she loves to play with all the boys, especially her best friend, Jesse Wade. Tiger struggles with the social aspect of life, as her simple mother tends to embarrass her beyond ones imagination, allowing others to shy away. Tiger Ann wants nothing more than to fit in with the pretty, popular girls at school, but her family reputation makes things very difficult.Things get even worse for Tiger when her grandmother, whom took care of the family, including Tiger's mother, died. Tiger's mother went into depression, and this was when Tiger's Aunt Dorie Kay came from Baton Rouge. Dorie Kay was a very classy, sophisticated woman, and Tiger would do anything to be like that, until the chance rolls around. Aunt Dorie Kay offers Tiger the chance to go live with her in Baton Rouge, but after a surprising realization, Tiger struggles to leave her parents behind.CL3301

Great story. I saw the movie version years ago. The book is a nice summer read. It’s young adult but I remembered the movie so I got it.

I purchased 24 of these books, as a gift, for a 6th grade teacher at a local school; plus the video for a comparative study. I read the book myself and found it very interesting; with complex thoughts from the leading character Tiger Ann. If only I could be a mouse in the classroom to hear the students as they discuss this book as they read it together. In the day of kids watching too many movies or playing video games excessively I was delighted to be able to make this 'reading' experience for this classroom. Hopefully, they will see the joy in reading a good book, not only for school but their own pleasure. Adults enjoy sharing at a book club but 11-12 year olds seldom get that opportunity - hooray for their teacher!

I have the DVD of this and I have watched it over and over again as it is great and so I wanted to read the book which the film is based on. I can say that it didn't disappoint and I would recommend both the book and the DVD to anyone.

読み書きは苦手でも、働き者で自然のことを沢山知っているお父さんと、子どものようだけど、純粋な愛をそそいでくれるお母さん、そして、両親の分まで頼りになる、たくましいおばあちゃんに囲まれて、Tiger Annは、ルイジアナの田舎で活発に育っていました。しかし、突然のおばあちゃんの死で、Tigerの生活を支えてきたものがなくなります。知的障害のある両親と自分だけで無事に生活できるのか、不安なTigerに、都会で自立して暮らす叔母さんから、一緒に暮らさないかと、声がかかります。両親に後ろめたさを感じながらも、都会での生活に憧れるTigerでしたが…ちょうど思春期にさしかかったTigerの、知的障害のある両親への思い、叔母さんの、姉や、母への思い、すごくせつない思いが、たくさん詰まった話なんだけど、読後感は、すごく爽やか。お母さんが、最後に回した腕…ルイジアナの青い空の下に広がる最終章の光景が、いつまでも心に残る。読んでよかった、と思える話。