Leaving Gee's Bend

ISBN: 9781588383327

NewSouth Books

Now available in paperback!

"authentic and memorable"
Booklist

"stunning debut"
First Draft Magazine

Questions & Answers with the Author

Leaving Gees Bend Discussion Guide

Magnolia Award Nominee
2011 Alabama Library Association 
Children's Book of the Year Crystal Kite Award Finalist SIBA Book Award Finalist Bank Street College Best Book ALSC Notable Children's Book Nominee Kentucky Bluegrass State Finalist Top Ten Alabama Books List IndieNext Kids List Spring 2010 Magnolia Award Nominee 2011 Alabama Library Association
Children's Book of the Year Crystal Kite Award Finalist SIBA Book Award Finalist Bank Street College Best Book ALSC Notable Children's Book Nominee Kentucky Bluegrass State Finalist Top Ten Alabama Books List IndieNext Kids List Spring 2010

Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but that doesn't mean she can't put in a good stitch. In fact, Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things are going wrong. But when Mama gets deathly ill, it doesn't seem like even quilting will help. Mama needs medicine badly - medicine that can only be found in Camden, over forty miles away. That's when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic - leave Gee's Bend.

Beyond the log cabins, orange dirt, and cotton fields of her small sharecropping community, Ludelphia discovers a world she could never have imagined. Fancy houses, cars, and even soda pop! But there's also danger lurking for a young girl on her own, and Ludelphia begins to wonder if she'll ever see Gee's Bend or her Mama again. Despite the twists and turns, Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mama proud, and may even save the day not just for Mama, but her entire town.

Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee's bend, Alabama, LEAVING GEE'S BEND is a heart-touching tale of a young girl's unexpected adventure.

Questions & Answers with Irene about Leaving Gees Bend.

Listen to Walter Jackson Elementary students talk about Leaving Gee's Bend

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GEE'S BEND

Arthur Rothstein photos
Crossing Over by J.R. Moehringer (winner of the Pulitzer Prize)
Tinwood Media (books and educational materials and information about art shows)
The Quilts of Gee's Bend (Quilters Collective History)
The Quilts of Gee's Bend (NPR)
The Gee's Bend Ferry
The Future of Gee's Bend by Deep South Magazine

ยป Photos from one of my trips to Gee's Bend (11/07)

Personalized and/or signed copies of Leaving Gees Bend are available here.