Two for Joy

by Gigi Amateau, Abigail Marble (Illustrator)

Overview

When an adored—and very independent—aunt suffers a fall and comes to live with them, Jenna and her mom discover what makes a family bond unbreakable.

Eight-year-old Jenna is dreaming of playing Olympic soccer when the phone call wakes her. Great-Great Aunt Tannie has broken her ankle, and Jenna’s worried mom decides Tannie should move in with them. Tannie is no delicate old lady—she does heavy chores on her Virginia farm, drives a huge pickup, and even rides her own motorcycle. Plus she’s full of joie de vivre, given to kicking a soccer ball and teaching Jenna all about the birds she’s collected on her life list. Jenna’s excited to have her favorite aunt and cat, Butt, come to stay, but with so many changes to get used to, tempers around the house soon start to flare. Maybe with all the caring and being taken care of, they’ve forgotten what Tannie is still so good at—and neglected to have any fun. In a familiar story told through a child’s eyes, Gigi Amateau reminds us that everyone needs help sometimes, especially those who least expect it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763670887
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	06/09/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	620L (what's this?)
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Gigi Amateau is the author of Macadoo of the Maury River; Chancey of the Maury River; Dante of the Maury River; Come August, Come Freedom; A Certain Strain of Peculiar; and Claiming Georgia Tate. She lives in Richmond, Virginia.

I was born October 20, 1964, in Ripley, Mississippi. I cherish having lived my early childhood in Mississippi and having visited my grandparents there every summer and at Thanksgiving. Most of my growing up I did outside of Richmond, Virginia, in Mechanicsville. I went to college at Virginia Commonwealth University—an open, urban, diverse campus—and majored in urban studies and planning. My experience there was like living in a lab where we could study the city—its history, influences, and dynamic nature—every day. I still live in Richmond with my family. Not too far from our home we also keep our pony and some cows, so we have the city and the country in our lives.


I love writing and I love the creative process, though it’s tough to describe because the imagination seems to work differently with each story. Sometimes I feel as though I’m listening to a story unfold in my mind; sometimes I watch it and then write it down. Other times it’s as though the story is hidden inside the world around me, not so much the world inside me, and my delightful job is to uncover it. I find that writing comes easier to me when I connect my work with physical activity—gardening, walking, dancing, doing yoga, swimming, or even riding a horse.

I write about grandparents, mothers and daughters, horses, the earth, love, and personal faith because these things matter most to me.

Three Things You Might Not Know About Me:

1. One of my favorite poems is The Prayer, by Mikhail Lermontov, which I can recite in its native Russian.

2. I love to watch basketball, especially my VCU Rams.

3. Someday I might like to become a yoga teacher or a librarian or an ornithologist.

Editorial Reviews

04/20/2015
With eight-year-old Jenna's great-aunt Tannie's health declining, Jenna and her mother decide that it's time that Tannie leave her Mississippi farm and move in with the two of them. But persuading Tannie takes work, as does adjusting to life with an older, ailing relative after Tannie agrees to join them in Virginia. Amateau makes each member of this three-generational family multidimensional; their love for each other is on full display, but the story doesn't sugarcoat the difficulties of caring for a relative whose strong will is sometimes at odds with a frail body. It's a sensitive account of a family coming together, and a solid resource for those facing similar decisions. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 7–9. Author's agent: Leigh Feldman, Leigh Feldman Literary. (June)

Publishers Weekly

A warmhearted tale, particularly apt for chapter-book readers with similar experiences or an interest in multigenerational stories.
—Kirkus Reviews

It's a sensitive account of a family coming together, and a solid resource for those facing similar decisions.
—Publishers Weekly

This is a thoughtful: intergenerational story told from the perspective of a young person, and Jenna’s voice is both authentic and endearing...Fans of Patricia MacLachlan will likely warm to this tender family story about learning to help those who have the hardest time accepting it.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Children living in multigenerational families will relate to the dynamics, appreciating Jenna and Tannie’s shared love of soccer and bird-watching.
—Booklist

Children will relate to this story.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

04/01/2015
Gr 1–4—At eight years old, Jenna dreams of being an Olympic soccer player. But when her Great-Aunt Tannie breaks her ankle and moves in with Jenna and her mother, things begin to change and not always for the better. Farm-girl Aunt Tannie isn't used to being treated like a fragile old lady, Grace is dealing with how to juggle taking care of her aunt and her daughter, and Jenna is learning how to adjust to being a little more independent and mature. In the end, the trio learn to control their tempers and let Tannie be the true judge of her abilities. Most importantly, they learn how to help one another and still have fun. Children will relate to this story. However, it offers up some deep, serious themes without devoting enough time to fully flesh them out. As a result, the characters are bland and not fully realized. Full-page black-and-white pencil-sketched illustrations are peppered throughout but do little to enhance the overall story. VERDICT Though the premise is charming, this title is ultimately a pass.—Paige Garrison, Aurora Central Public Library, CO

School Library Journal

2015-02-23
When feisty great-aunt Britannia falls and hurts herself for the fourth time in two years, 8-year-old Jenna and her mom, a nurse, invite "Tannie" to come and live with them. But the strong-willed, widowed Tannie, an avid birder who once could fly an airplane and ride a motorcycle, isn't quite ready to give up her Mississippi farm and move in with her beloved relatives in Virginia. Eventually Tannie relents. Although Jenna appreciates having her great-aunt's inspiring spirit nearby, soon Tannie's needs cut into the maternal attentiveness Jenna has come to expect. Learning to accept change and to ask for help become challenges for all of the characters, as transitioning into an intergenerational threesome is presented as an ongoing process. Amateau's experiences with caregiving and her work in the world of aging and disability services inform this mildly generic, timeless story. Refreshing aspects include an adventurous older female character striving to remain vital and the mutually respectful relationship between Jenna and her mother, who is the primary parent after divorce. A deceptively simple, warmhearted tale, particularly apt for chapter-book readers with similar experiences or an interest in multigenerational stories. (Fiction. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews