Say Yes

Say Yes by Audrey Couloumbis is another of her stories about survival.

Casey lives with her stepmother. Her father died two years ago. Now it is just the two of them. But one day Casey comes home from school to discover Sylvia is gone.

At first she thinks Sylvia is working late. Casey goes to the diner where Sylvia works and the boss congratulates her on the move. It looks like Sylvia moved without her.

The only person Casey can talk to is a boy who lives in the building. He is in foster care with the super. He has a plan to keep Casey from starving, but it is definitely not legal. Is Casey desperate enough to go along with his plan?

Couloumbis, Audrey. (2002). Say Yes. New York: G.P. Putnam and Sons.

Summer's End

Summer's End by Audrey Couloumbis is a look at the Vietnam war and how it affected those who stayed behind.

During the summer of Grace's thirteenth birthday her family has a lot to think about. Her brother Collin has gotten his draft card. And he has burned his draft card. Her father throws Collin out of the house and cancels Grace's birthday.

Grace goes to her grandmother's farm to escape her parents arguments about Collin. There she realizes that this same discussion - whether to fight or object - is being discussed by most of the family. She has one cousin and one uncle in Vietnam and one cousin in Canada.

Couloumbis' look at this tough issue is a fresh approach - not looking at the men who had to make the decision - looking at the family members left behind.

Couloumbis, Audrey. (2005). Summer's End. New York: G.P. Putnam and Sons.

Getting Near to Baby

Audrey Couloumbis, author of the Maude March books, won a Newberry honor for this book - Getting Near to Baby.

As with her other two Couloumbis books that I have read, this is the story of two sisters and how their lives are affected by the death of a loved one. She has a way with writing that makes her stories a joy to read.

Willa Jo and Little Sister have been taken to live with their Aunt Patty. As the book begins, the sisters are sitting on the roof of Patty's house watching the sunrise. As the day progresses and neighbors stop by to gawk, a look back in time shows how the sisters got to the roof.

This is a beautiful look at family, sisterhood in particular. Not just Willa and Little Sister, but also their mother and Patty.

Couloumbis, Audrey. (2000). Getting Near to Baby. New York: Puffin Books.

Maude March on the Run (Maude March #2)

Maude March on the Run! or Trouble Is Her Middle Name continues the adventures from The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis.
Maude and her sister Sallie are now settled in Independence, Missouri. Maude works at a restaurant and Sallie is working for her uncle and Marion in the Livery.

Things are going well until Maude gets arrested. That seems like the signal for them to move on - once they complete the jail break.

The three are once again rough-riders headed west. They are going to the Colorado Territory to help out a friend of uncle Arlin and his family.

Along the way there is more adventure, shooting, close calls, and a few Mad Maude impersonators.

Couloumbis, Audrey. (2007). Maude March on the Run. New York: Random House.

The Misadventures of Maude March (Maude March #1)

In The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis, Sallie and her sister Maude are orphaned for a second time.

They had been living with their Aunt Ruthie since their parents died of the fever. Now Aunt Ruthie has been killed and they have no other family that they know of.

At first they are taken in by the minister and his family. But soon they begin to feel like hired hands - without the pay. And when Maude is almost forced to married an old man, they decide it is time to make their way west. They may have an uncle in Independence, Missouri - three weeks ride west.

Disguised as boys they head out on the minister's mule and cart-horse. Sallie thinks she knows how to be a range rider from the dime-novels she has been reading. Maude thinks they will be okay as long as they get there before the snow.

Along the way they meet up with Joe Hardin, the notorious star in Sallie's books. Between his reputation and Maude's - who is now wanted as a horse-thief - the adventure begins. It become difficult to tell which version of the story is more exciting - the one that happens or what the newspapers report on Mad Maude March.

Couloumbis, Audrey. (2005). The Misadventures of Maude March. New York: Yearling.