Dear Hank Williams - by Kimberly Willis Holt (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

It's 1948 in Rippling Creek, Louisiana, and Tate P. Ellerbee's new teacher has just given her class an assignment--learning the art of letter-writing. Luckily, Tate has the perfect pen pal in mind: Hank Williams, a country music singer whose star has just begun to rise. Tate and her great-aunt and -uncle listen to him on the radio every Saturday night, and Tate just knows that she and Hank are kindred spirits.

Told entirely through Tate's hopeful letters, Dear Hank Williams is a beautifully drawn novel from National Book Award-winning author Kimberly Willis Holt that gradually unfolds a story of family love, overcoming tragedy, and an insightful girl learning to find her voice. This title has Common Core connections.

Review Quotes

An Amazon Best Book of the Year
A VOYA Perfect Ten

"The strength of this novel lies in the insight Tate develops as she deals with tragedy and depends on the love of family. VERDICT Artfully told, this middle grade novel pleases on many levels." --Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH, School Library Journal

"Soulful and satisfying." --Kirkus Reviews

"This book packs more emotional power than 90% of the so-called grown-up novels taking up precious space on bookshelves around the country." --USA Today on When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

"Holt may not take her readers on wild flights of fantasy, but her quiet novel offers a slice of life that's hard to resist." --The New York Times Book Review on When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

"In her own down-to-earth, people, smart way, Holt offers a gift. . . . It is a lovely--at times even giddy--date with real life." --The Horn Book, starred review on When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

"An unusually auspicious debut." --Publishers Weekly, starred review on My Louisiana Sky

"This lyrical first novel brings fresh perspective to the guilt and anger and caring that surround the mentally disabled. All the characters . . . are drawn with warmth but no patronizing reverence." --Booklist, starred review on My Louisiana Sky

"Evocative . . . haunting . . . magic." --Publishers Weekly, starred review on Keeper of the Night

"Beautifully written." --School Library Journal, starred review on Keeper of the Night

About the Author

Kimberly Willis Holt is the author of the many award-winning novels for young adults and children, including The Water Seeker, My Louisiana Sky, and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, winner of a National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She is also the author of the bestselling Piper Reed series of chapter books and several picture books. Holt was born in Pensacola, Florida, and has lived all over the world-from Paris to Norfolk to Guam to New Orleans. She now lives in Texas with her family.