Belle Prater's Boy (Book 1 of 2) (paperback) Ruth White

Book 1 of 2

When Belle Prater disappears, Belle's boy, Woodrow, comes to live with his grandparents in Coal Station, Virginia. Woodrow's cousin Gypsy lives next door and is as curious as the rest of the town about Belle's disappearance. Woodrow is cross-eyed and wears hand-me-downs, but Gypsy is impressed by his charm and his witty stories. The cousins find they have a lot in common, and they become best friends during their sixth-grade year. 

Gypsy is the town beauty, but she has hidden sorrows of her own. She wonders how Woodrow can accept his mother's disappearance, when she's never gotten over her father's death. Then Woodrow tells Gypsy the secret about his mother. 

October 2023