Teenreads.com -- CLAIMING GEORGIA TATE by Gigi Amateau

CLAIMING GEORGIA TATE
Gigi Amateau
Candlewick Press
Fiction
ISBN-10: 0763633119
ISBN-13: 9780763633110
208 pages

Gigi Amateau's debut novel is a story set in the South about a 12-year-old girl named Georgia Tate. Georgia Tate lives happily with her grandparents. Her mama died years ago and her father moved away. She gets cards occasionally and sees him even less frequently. Life is just fine as it is.

Then everything gets turned upside down. Georgia Tate's best friend Ginger tells her that her mama isn't dead after all, just absent. Georgia Tate doesn't know what to make of this news and decides to talk to her grandparents about it. Next, Nana dies, and Georgia Tate's grandfather decides that the best thing to do is to send her down to live with her father. The problem is, Georgia Tate's dad isn't a very good parent. He begins to ask her to dress in mature clothing and go out to bars with him every night.

Georgia Tate doesn't like living with him, and soon he begins abusing her. But she manages to make the best of it, always keeping a smile on her face. She befriends Tamika, a drag queen and Mary Kay salesgirl, and Marie-Bernard, an elderly Haitian woman, both of whom help her out when times get tough.

This is a well-written novel, but it is hard to stomach. The subject matter is serious, although it is handled well and there are no graphic scenes. The best thing about the book is that Georgia Tate is a realistic character and her voice always shines through. She manages to keep her head up and does her best to stay strong through every storm that comes her way.

CLAIMING GEORGIA TATE is not exactly a light beach read, but it is a good first novel with an inspiring story behind it.

--- Reviewed by Hannah Gomez (clueless_dramaqueen13@yahoo.com)

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