Teenreads.com -- PIECES OF GEORGIA by Jen Bryant

PIECES OF GEORGIA
Jen Bryant
Yearling
Fiction
Hardcover: 0375832599
Paperback: 9780440420552
176 pages

PIECES OF GEORGIA by Jen Bryant is a touching coming-of-age novel about a troubled 13-year-old girl named Georgia McCoy. The novel in poems is told through journal entries Georgia writes to her deceased mother.

The book begins when Georgia, an aspiring artist, receives an anonymous gift of a free membership to an art museum. Georgia's father has become emotionally withdrawn since the death of his wife. He works all the time, leaving Georgia alone in the afternoons. She begins visiting the museum after school, but never mentions these excursions to her father. Georgia's mother had been an artist, too, and Georgia feels that the memory of her mother's artwork would be too painful for her father.

Through Georgia's journal, the reader learns about the novel's three main characters: Georgia, her best friend Tiffany, and Georgia's father. We also learn how Georgia longs to have a closer relationship with her dad. Woven throughout the book are rich details about the Brandywine River Museum and the art of the Wyeth family. As Georgia studies art produced by the Wyeths, she begins experimenting with her own art and gains more confidence in her abilities.

Jen Bryant --- who teaches children's literature at West Chester University --- is the author of poems, picture books, and biographies for young readers. Her previous novel, THE TRIAL, about the 1932 kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's son, received a starred review by Booklist.

PIECES OF GEORGIA is a richly textured novel layered with realistic characters, an emotional story, and a satisfying ending. Georgia's tale will touch readers' hearts.

--- Reviewed by Renee Kirchner (renee.kirchner@usa.net)

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