Written By: Kimberley Griffiths Little
Sometimes secrets have a way of weaving into our lives and changing who we are and who we want to be. Twelve year old Livie faces just such a problem when her mother ends up in a coma and only Livie knows why. On her own, she must find a way to heal her mother and bring her family back to the way they were…even if that means going against her mother’s wishes. Livie struggles to save her family in the Louisiana bayou and find a healing spell to save them all.
This is a heartwarming story about not only trying to change the situation you are in, but in changing the way you see and feel about all the pieces and people that are involved.
I highly recommend this beautiful story about family, faith, and finding strength within yourself.
Discussion/Project Ideas:
1. The characters in this book each bring a very strong point of view to the events that unfold. Choose your favorite scene and completely rewrite it from another character’s point of view. Trade this with a partner and compare and contrast how the scenes are alike and different.
2. Livie had a pet alligator that she had to keep secret. Research alligators and other animals that are native to the Louisiana bayous. Is there any way Livie could have turned this alligator into a true pet? What other animals in the bayou could she have tried to turn into a pet?
3. Some people buy exotic animals as pets only to find out that it wasn’t so easy when the animal grew up. Find out what some of these people do with their animals when they decide they can no longer keep them.
4. Write a letter to someone who owns (you don’t actually have to know this person)a potentially dangerous pet, written from Livie’s father’s point of view. What would he say? Write it again from Livie’s point of view. What would she say?