Tomato Girl

Tomato Girl was another book I read about on several blogs, so I decided to place it on hold through my library. I started it last night and finished it today and was not disappointed while reading it. I give Tomato Girl an A-.

From Amazon:
For eleven-year-old Ellie Sanders, her father has always been the rock that she could cling to when her mother's emotional troubles became too frightening. But when he comes under the thrall of the pretty teenager who raises vegetables and tomatoes for sale at the general store that he runs, Ellie sees her security slowly slipping away. Now she must be witness and warden to her mother's gradual slide into madness.Told from Ellie's point of view, Tomato Girl takes the reader into the soul of a terrified young girl clinging desperately to childhood while being forced into adulthood years before she is ready. To save herself, she creates a secret world, a place in which her mother gets well, her father returns to being the man he was, and the Tomato Girl is banished forever. Tomato Girl marks the debut of a gifted and promising new author who has written a timeless Southern novel.

This book made me so mad, but in a good way where the book reaches out and grabs the reader by the heart. The things Ellie is forced to live with and deal with are so heartbreaking that I just want to jump right into the pages and fix everything myself. I could not believe the selfish acts of some of the adults in this book. This poor little girl forced to grow up so quickly and deal with things that I know would have a 40 year old struggling with was so sad. I think what even got to me more was that though the book is a work of fiction, I am sure there are plenty of children that deal with things like this in everyday life. However, the book was really well written and the author does a wonderful job of drawing the reader into the story. I highly recommend this book.

That is it for my library books, so I am going to get something off of my shelves. I think a good thriller is in store right now, especially after reading two back-to-back regular fiction books. Wish me luck in selecting an awesome book and Happy Reading!