Kimberly Willis Holt examines the lives of four teens in successive generations of a Louisiana family. Rose gets a job on a bookmobile to help her struggling family during the Depression. Growing up in the 1950s, Rose’s son, Merle Henry, loves tramping the woods and running traplines, his beloved dog, Blue, by his side. Annabeth is growing up in the 1970s, in a suburb that’s a far cry from rural Louisiana where her parents, Merle Henry and Lily Bea, grew up. Cruelly teased by a peer, Annabeth finds solace in discussions of literature, and inspiration for confronting her tormentor from her forthright grandmother, Rose. In the present-day story, Annabeth’s highly unmotivated son, Kyle Koami, reluctantly takes a summer job in the children’s room of the local public library. There, he displays the same instincts for respecting the interests and dignity of all readers that his great-grandmother, Rose, drew on when she worked on the bookmobile decades before, bringing Holt’s story cycle full circle. With adolescent characters that are achingly real and glimpses into the adult lives of three of her four adolescent characters, Holt has penned a quietly intriguing volume. (Ages 11–14)

The lives of four generations of one Louisiana family, woven together by a master storyteller

Tracing a family's roots is like taking a journey through the years. In the case of one Louisiana family, that journey can be charted by the books they read and loved.

The journey begins in 1939 with Rose, who moves with her mother and siblings from rural Texas to live with their estranged grandfather in the Louisiana bayou. Rose connects with this flavorful community through her love of books and by driving a bookmobile. Two decades later, Merle Henry, Rose's son, is more passionate about trapping a mink than about reading, although there is a place in his heart for Old Yeller. In 1973, Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth, feels torn between reading fairy tales and a crush on a real-life knight in shining armor. And in the present day, Annabeth's son, Kyle, finds himself in a bind: he hates reading, but the only summer job he can get is at the library.

In her people-smart way, Kimberly Willis Holt introduces us to a Louisiana family: touching, lyrical, and always intriguing, their stories reveal the powerful connections between four generations.

Part of Me is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.