THE PERFECT PLACE

A spirited, stubborn and loyal girl finds the perfect place exactly where she doesn’t want it. 

Treasure’s father has gone to find his family “the perfect place,” but after two months with no word and no money, her mother—in desperation—leaves Treasure and her younger sister, Tiffany, with their father’s aunt while she tries to track him down. His disappearing act is not new, so Treasure has coping mechanisms: Don’t get too attached to a place, and don’t make friends. Neither should be hard, as Great-Aunt Grace is mean, and Black Lake, Virginia, is boring. But Treasure seems to attract trouble, and trouble attracts friends. Harris’ first novel lets readers inside the heads and hearts of her characters as Treasure and Grace, both hardheaded, inevitably find their rhythms. Despite a simple and predictable plot, readers will be firmly engaged by the funny, genuine dialogue and effortless prose that evokes a hot summer and Grace's cluttered house and store. Side characters are well-defined, and Treasure’s voice is singular, smart and memorable. 

Though good family-in-transition stories are not rare, ones that authentically portray an African-American experience are, and readers will find this one pretty near perfect. (Fiction. 10-13)