Trash
Grade 8 Up-Darrow began this tale of poverty in rural Arkansas inThe Painters of Lexieville(Candlewick, 2003). Abandoned by their mother, Sissy Lexie, 16, and her younger brother, Boy, are looking for a lot more beauty than they are finding. They lived with their older sister, Raynell, until her husband lost his job; endured several foster homes; and are currently residing with the Fowlers, who force the teens to collect trash for their business. Although unhappy, the siblings find comfort in being together. When Boy gives Sissy a specially designed tattoo, their enraged foster parents beat them and they run away to St. Louis to find Raynell, who can now care for them. Settled into high school, they become art bandits, roaming rooftops at night to spray their self-chosen tags-Skye and Atenz. When tragedy strikes, Sissy spirals downward into depression and self-destruction. Finally reconnecting with her belief in the importance of art in day-to-day life, she revives an old dream of attending art school and begins to face her grief. Sissy's poignant first-person narrative blends staccato verses with free-flowing prose. Readers will appreciate the characters' search for identity and efforts to find beauty in places not obvious. Suggest this title to readers who enjoyed Kathe Koja'sThe Blue Mirror(Farrar) or Martine Leavitt'sHeck Superhero(Front St, both 2004), novels that also depict hope through art and self-expression on gritty urban streets.Kelly Czarnecki, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg, NCCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.