The Missing Pieces of Me - Tapa dura

More than anything, ten-year-old Weezie wants to please her momma. She babysits her spoiled half-sister, Ruth Ann, and little Jackson. She makes tea for Momma in Gramma Emmeline’s beautiful teapot. She even tries to cook dinner. But nothing turns out quite right. And Momma is never pleased. Hard times and a daddy who ran off before she was born seem to have stolen all of Momma’s love.

If only Weezie could find her daddy, she’s sure her life would be happier. Tired of making up stories about a parent she knows nothing about, Weezie teams up with her bike-riding buddy, Calvin, and new friend, Louella, to find her mysterious father. Does he drive a truck? Sing country and western songs? Why, her real daddy might even be better than the made-up father she’s been telling lies about at school! Now, all she has to do is find him.

Jean Van Leeuwen’s poignant, powerful novel introduces a feisty heroine whose brave search proves that even a life that’s missing important pieces can be chock full of things that matter.

Jean Van Leeuwen is the author of more than fifty children’s books from picture books to beginning readers to middle-grade fiction, including The Great Cheese Conspiracy and Five Funny Bunnies: Three Bouncing Tales, illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf. Her books have won numerous awards, including the William Allen White Award, the South Carolina Children’s Book Award, the Washington Irving Children’s Choice Award, and many ALA Notable Book citations. Her popular Oliver and Amanda Pig Easy-to-Read series was called “timeless as the truths of childhood” by the New York Times. A former children’s book editor, she lives in Chappaqua, New York.