Sparrow by Sherri L. Smith Grades 710 192 pages Delacorte July 2006 Hardcover     Kendall’s grandmother has always told her that family is everything, that family always sticks with family. It’s important for her to remember that, because Grandmother is all the family Kendall has left. Kendall’s parents and her baby brother died in a car crash when Kendall was just four years old. When Kendall survived the crash, she was taken in and raised by her grandmother. Now, after Grandmother’s stroke, seventeen-year-old Kendall must be the caretaker, preparing meals and taking care of her grandmother’s needs. She is often late for school and her grades have taken a dive. When her grandmother has a second stroke and dies in the hospital, Kendall is thrown into a downward spiral as she seeks to find a way to survive on her own. She has suddenly discovered an Aunt Janet who she never knew who is her legal godmother and can help her deal with child services and the school, but she has to find her first. Her search takes her to New Orleans, where she will find not only Aunt Janet but friendship, loyalty and a sense of family that comes from the oddest places. This is a great story for early teens about self-reliance and looking past the façade. It teaches us that everyone is hurting and everyone can be a doctor if we just listen and care. This story has great potential for book club use with discussions about family, independence, government services and friendship.     web reviews   Joyce Rice/2011 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)