Also Known as Harper

I began reading this book with my eight year old son, but in the end I read it for myself...I know that sounds selfish, but something about Harper Lee wouldn't let me put the book down. I fell in love with her character and was so engaged by the story that I couldn't stop reading until I was sure she would land on her feet. The writer has the rare ability to write believable and natural flowing dialogue, which is particularly difficult considering that the main characters are young children. Harper reminds me of children I've met in Africa who care for younger siblings without second thought b/c they simply must. She somehow retains her innocence in the face of much adversity and although she has plenty of reason to resent her baby brother and her mother, she comes through for them every time. This book couldn't have been written at a better time. It is a lesson in sensitivity toward homelessness during a time of great economic turmoil. A must read for civics teachers. I rarely follow a writer from novel to novel, but I plan to follow Ann Leal through her next journey, which I hope will be very soon.

Harper Lee Morgan was named after the author of her mother's favorite book, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. She has grown up hearing her mother read the book aloud - 36 times in fact, if the tally marks on the kitchen wall are accurate. For a while it's just been Harper, her mother, and her little brother, Hemingway (Hem), at least since her father up and left them. They used to be a happy family. They didn't have a lot, but they loved each other and made do. But after baby Flannery died, things were never quite the same. Harper loves school and is determined that this year she will participate in the local poetry contest. Writing poetry is like breathing for Harper. She dreams of getting up in front of the crowd and reading her poems into the microphone for all to hear. Just when she thinks this year it will be possible, the landlady throws all their belongings out into the front yard. She says they are way behind in their rent, and she has more reliable tenants waiting in line. Moving isn't unusual. Since her father left and her mother has been working whatever jobs she can to make ends meet, they've had to do without, but moving into a rundown nearby motel changes everything. Harper has to stay in their room and keep an eye on Hem while her mother looks for work. That means no school and probably no poetry contest. It seems like the end of the world until Harper gets acquainted with the other folks who live in and around the motel. There's Randall and his sister, Lorraine. Lorraine stopped talking a while back. She may be quiet, but she's awfully nice. Harper is surprised when she learns they don't actually live at the motel, but instead in a make-shift tent community hidden beyond the Knotty Pine Luxury Cabins. Harper and Hem also become fast friends with Dorothy, a woman in a wheelchair who owns the property around the motel. She is the original Pine of the Knotty Pine Luxury Cabins, and knew them when they were comfy little separate cabins and not a bunch of rundown motel rooms all hooked together. The life that Harper leads would wear most people down, scraping by with a few changes of clothes, occasional hot showers, and living mostly off of peanut butter sandwiches. However, Harper has always made the best of things, and with the love of her mother and brother and her new friends, she seems to keep her chin up and keep a positive view of the world. Ann Haywood Leal's novel illustrates the fate of far too many people in today's society. Many families are working hard but never finding a way to get ahead. Harper's determination and creativity help this family carry on through the toughest of times. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

This is a book I would recommend to any girl that dreams about being a writer. It's not an easy job and rejections can be downright discouraging. So it's pretty amazing that Harper endures all that she does and keeps on writing. Named after her mother's favorite writer, Harper Lee (her brother is named Hemingway which I think is adorable) is also an aspiring writer. A poet, to be more specific. And more than anything, she wants to read at the poetry contest. But her father has left them, her mother can't keep a job, and they are left without a home. Fortunately, they make some good friends who help them out, not just with the basic necessities but for friendship and moral support. With our economy in the state that it is in and with companies laying people off everday, something like this could very well be a reality. But the greatest message is not to give up your dream. Even when it seems that everything is against you and failure is imminent, keep trying. I love this book for that because there is too much negativity, backstabbing, drama on tv and even in books. So it's refreshing to read something about people with real problems trying to deal with them the best they can and making something beautiful in the process.

I had never before heard of Ann Haywood Leal so I was a little hesitant about ordering this book but my 13 year old wanted to read it so I decided why not. I'm glad I did. This is a very touching book and can be read by all ages. It would also make a good gift for anyone who loves to read, and even those who don't. The book deals about homelessness in a way that isn't depressing. Harper who loves to write poetry and her family (her mother and brother Hemingway) had been evicted from their home and with no where else to go they decided to move into a motel that isn't the best place in the world. Her mother who has to provide for her family, has to work quite a few jobs and so Harper is forced to miss school to take care of her young brother. Her father had deserted them and her brother still missed him and looked out for him coming back. The book is very well written and almost too realistic at times but I'd definitely recommend this.

In this day and age when families are finding themselves living in low-cost motels, or homeless, this is a timely novel. The main character Harper is named after her Mom's favorite author and the family is facing dire circumstances with her alcoholic Dad gone and her having to stay home to watch her brother while her Mom both works and looks for more work. These mature topics unfortunately face our children today and Harper's take on them is informational and inspirational. I think the intended age 10 and up market will "get" this book and maybe it is an important lesson for them to understand that the kid next to them in class, or maybe the kid no longer next to them in class, could be Harper. I also like the inclusion of poetry as a way of making the emotional connection and for teaching pre-teens and teens to appreciate the importance of poetry.