"Momma's sewing machine clanked all week long."

When Jolene learns that big, loud Mister wants to marry Momma, she feels as if she might lose her, just like she lost her father. Three is enough, but what if her momma doesn't think so? Jolene is sad and scared, but she is tough too. And when she gets the chance to hurt Mister, she acts.
   What will Momma do when she finds out? And will she marry Mister anyway?
   Kimberly Willis Holt has written a heartwarming story about change and acceptance, and a little girl who ultimately gives name to what she wants most.

Inspirations

My dad often spoke about the Louisiana sawmill town where two of my great grandfathers had worked. I wanted to write a story with that setting.

I traveled back to Louisiana and interviewed people who had lived and worked in that sawmill town. Back home, Jolene's story grew inside me. It isn't a true story, but the stories of the people I interviewed breathed life into mine.

Reviews

"Jolene's acceptance of her mother's upcoming marriage comes gradually and convincingly, and her willingness to face the uncertainties of her future may well give courage to readers confronting sea changes of their own."
-Publishers Weekly

"Holt's characters...introduce themselves as easily as neighbors proffering homemade buttermilk pie"
-The Horn Book  

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