Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek cover
Eleven-year-old Ellie Sanders is thrown into the roll of caregiver of her mentally unstable mother while her father’s interests get misdirected toward the “tomato girl.” She finds power within herself to mature beyond her years and cope with the unthinkable with the help of an array of characters. Jayne Pupek paints vivid images through Ellie’s eyes.
Ellie’s support comes from a myriad of people including friends, neighbors, and people from the “other side of the tracks.” You feel Ellie’s pain; you taste and smell every move; you want to comfort her as Clara did.
When my sobs slowed, Clara wrapped me in a heavy blue quilt covered in stars. My fingers traced the gold stitches "This quilt belonged to my mother,” she said. "Whenever I have a hard day, I curl up in Mama's quilt and dream my troubles away. You give each worry to one of the stars. Remember that. Don't matter how many worries you got because there are always more stars than worries."
Tomato Girl will move and disturb you. You won’t want to rest until you read the last page. It is an amazing debut novel by writer and former social worker Jayne Pupek.
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