Saving Stevie

Gr 8 Up—Thirteen-year-old Minto is a young girl struggling to keep her family together. Her older sister Tiff was the first to abandon the family, leaving behind her young infant son, Stevie. Minto and her family are barely managing to care for Stevie when Minto's mother gets into a car accident. When they are unable to locate Tiff, Minto's father and mother decide that looking after Stevie is a responsibility they can't handle. The only remaining option is to give Stevie up for adoption. Minto can't stand the idea of Stevie being adopted, so she plans to rescue him by going to the only safe place she can think of, a nearby trailer park called Shacktown. Minto is lucky enough to find shelter with Dawn, a Native American woman she met during an earlier visit to Shacktown. With the help of some new friends, Minto learns to live in a new environment with minimal resources. Her friends all cope with different vices and challenges, but they seem to want to help Minto tend to Stevie. The teen discovers that this type of help sometimes comes at a steep cost. Minto must figure out whom she can trust and if she has what it takes to do what's best for Stevie. This hi-lo book is a quick read, and the pace is perfect for reluctant readers who enjoy shorter stories. The novel covers many topics that will resonate with emerging teens.