Little Audrey
Ruth White
I fell in love with Little Audrey by Ruth White as soon as I saw it. I was struck by the black and white photograph on the cover. I checked it out at the library immediately, knowing I would like it. I was smitten. The story caught my attention because of its plot and characters. They are all very important in the story. It is sad but heartfelt. I think that Little Audrey would appeal to girls more than boys because it is emotional. Ruth White is such a good author you will want to read every book she wrote!

Little Audrey takes place in Jewel Valley, southwestern Virginia in 1948. It is based on a true story written by Audrey's little sister, Ruth-Carol. Audrey narrates the story in first person.

Audrey had gotten tonsillitis and scarlet fever awhile back. She lost a lot of weight because of it. She also got one grey and one green eye as a result of her illness. Audrey feels neglected and alone. She struggles at home with her dad being a drunk and gone all the time. Her mother is always quiet and still mourning over a trauma that had occurred about four years before.

It made me sad when, in one part of the story, Audrey has oatmeal with no milk. She asks her mom for money but she doesn't respond. So she looks in the cupboard and finds evaporated milk. It shows how desperate and poor they were. She wishes she was an only child because of her little sisters- or as she calls them, the three little pigs, Yvonne, Ruth-Carol, and Eleanor.). According to Audrey, “They all have the best of mommy and daddy.” One time she asked her father if she could go to her grandparents' house with him but he says, “Maybe next time…” she feels bad because she knows it's because of her sickness.

Audrey and her family enjoy going to her daddy's soft-ball games. She feels proud when she is ordered to get water for him at one of his games. He pitches for the town's soft-ball team. She and her family go to the movies with the weekly savings her mother manages to gather up at the end of each week.

At school, her classmates, Ron Keith and Thurman, tease her about her sickness. They call her Skeleton Girl. Her teacher, Miss. Stairus, helps her with her problems at school and some at home. Audrey admires her for her word usage and her tender teaching. Virgil, her best friend, is funny and is always making monkey jokes to make her laugh and smile.

The ending is something you will not forget. It is tragic and sad but it makes you appreciate what you have. To find out how Little Audrey ends you must read it for yourself.