Synopsis: It is 1959, and 13 year old Sally Maulden is being sent to her grandparents home in Coldwater, Arkansas as a result of her parents divorce. Sally is not happy about the "bust up" of her family, in fact, she places much of the blame on herself. Maybe her parents would still be together if she wasn't so boring and plain?

There is a lot to keep Sally entertained in Coldwater. There are her grandparents: Horace, the town's doctor who is in trouble with the government for selling home brewed medicines, and Emily, who is fighting her own war against the newspaper editor over the presence of an outhouse in view of the Maulden residence. There is BJ, the scandalous dance teacher renting her parents old house. Then, there is Sam Best, the wealthy and glamorous friend of her mother, who takes Sally for rides in his Land Rover. Sally develops a crush on Sam and dreams of their marriage.

Her grandfather thinks that a poodle will cheer her up but her grandmother is afraid of fleas. They decide to get her some chickens. There is the hen, Elizabeth Taylor and a coop full of roosters. After a misunderstanding, the chickens are replaced by a foul mouthed parrot named Toulouse.

In the year and a half that Sally spends in Coldwater, she grows up and figures that there is much to life and love than what she has already experienced.

Pros & Cons: I was not expecting much from this book when I picked it up. However, it has really stuck with me. Sally is an engaging character, whose experiences make you want to laugh and cry and give her a hug. The dialogue and themes are some what dated - 1950's southern farm town. The characters are filled with humor and compassion, that it didn't really bother me too much. Recommended if you come across it

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