Winner of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award

“This appealingly nostalgic tale conveys the tenor of the time as well as the affable narrator’s growth during one momentous summer.”—Publishers Weekly “Realistic and exciting. . . . Great for reading aloud.”—Booklist

The summer that Viney is eleven years old is extraordinary. It takes her out of school and puts her under the wing of Missy Violet, a well-loved midwife whose wise and warm ways help teach Viney about the business of catchin’ babies. At turns scary, funny, and exhilarating, the rhythm of Viney’s rural life in the South quickens as she embraces her apprenticeship and finds her own special place as Missy Violet’s “best helper girl.”