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Description
Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award
Polly loves her life. Her small but cozy bedroom by the stained glass window made by her artist mother, the nutty schemes of her best friend Vanessa, the Protheroes who live downstairs -- it all seems so right that Polly hardly notices that she's never known her father.
But when the house is suddenly sold, and it becomes obvious that her mother isn't very good at finding a new home that they can afford, Polly begins to doubt that her life was so perfect after all. Unwilling to move temporarily into her mother's studio, Polly goes to live with her rich uncle and his family. One day, a nasty blow-up with her cousin makes Polly realise where her home really is, and helps her to confront her anger at her mother's long-ago decision to have a baby on her own.
Sarah Ellis's sense of humor and perfect control of voice leaven her often very serious subjects, making Pick-Up Sticks a warm, moving, and very funny novel.
Contributor Notes
Sarah Ellis is the author of sixteen books for young readers, including The Baby Project and Odd Man Out. She has won the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, the Violet Downey Book Award, the Governor General’s Award, the Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Her books have been translated into French, Spanish, Danish, Chinese and Japanese. She is a masthead reviewer for the Horn Book Magazine and was recently writer-in-residence at the Toronto Public Library.
In 2013 Sarah was nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, children’s literature’s richest prize. She was also honored with the 2013 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence.
Sarah teaches in the MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 9 to 12
- Grade:
- 4 to 7
- Reading age:
- 9 to 12
Awards
- Long-listed, OLA Silver Birch Award
- Winner, Governor General's Literary Awards: Text
Editorial Reviews
Ellis' insights are perceptive and have an unmistakable ring of honesty.
— Horn Book
Drawn with humor and compassion - what will grab kids is the sharp and affectionate view of the way we live now.
— Booklist
The characters...are the kind of unique, well-rounded personalities readers expect from this fine Canadian author.
— Kirkus Reviews
