Two for Joy

When an adored—and very independent—aunt suffers a fall and comes to live with them, Jenna and her mom discover what makes a family bond unbreakable.

Eight-year-old Jenna is dreaming of playing Olympic soccer when the phone call wakes her. Great-Great Aunt Tannie has broken her ankle, and Jenna’s worried mom decides Tannie should move in with them. Tannie is no delicate old lady—she does heavy chores on her Virginia farm, drives a huge pickup, and even rides her own motorcycle. Plus she’s full of joie de vivre, given to kicking a soccer ball and teaching Jenna all about the birds she’s collected on her life list. Jenna’s excited to have her favorite aunt and cat, Butt, come to stay, but with so many changes to get used to, tempers around the house soon start to flare. Maybe with all the caring and being taken care of, they’ve forgotten what Tannie is still so good at—and neglected to have any fun. In a familiar story told through a child’s eyes, Gigi Amateau reminds us that everyone needs help sometimes, especially those who least expect it.

Gigi Amateau is the author of Macadoo of the Maury River; Chancey of the Maury River; Dante of the Maury River; Come August, Come Freedom; A Certain Strain of Peculiar; and Claiming Georgia Tate. She lives in Richmond, Virginia.