Donutheart (16 page)

“Don’t you call me that in public.” Gloria kept her eyes on Sarah. But she was smiling.

And Sarah…Sarah was spinning. It seemed she could go on like that forever.

“I’m going to be honest,” Gloria said. “I don’t see how you managed that trip…the likelihood of you traveling by yourself to Grand River…well, those aren’t betting odds.”

“I don’t know, either,” I said. “I guess, for once, I wanted to be the hero.”

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Sue Stauffacher’s books for young readers include
Harry Sue
and
Donuthead,
the first book about Franklin and Sarah, which
Kirkus Reviews
called “touching, funny and gloriously human” in a starred review. To learn more about Sue, her books, and the making of
Donutheart,
visit her Web site at
www.suestauffacher.com
. Sue lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband, Roger Gilles; her two sons, Max and Walter; her dog, Sophie; and her cat, Fig.

Also by Sue Stauffacher

DONUTHEAD

My name, if you must know, is Franklin Delano Donuthead. Try saying that in a room full of fifth graders if you think names will never hurt you.

And the name is just the beginning. Life for Franklin Delano Donuthead is decidedly unsafe. Marvin Howerton, the school bully with big fists and a small brain, has it in for him. And no one in Franklin’s life—not classmates, teachers, or even his mom—seems to understand the importance of proper sanitation. Not to mention the disturbing fact that his left arm has mysteriously grown eight-tenths of an inch longer than his right.

Then hygienically challenged Sarah Kervick transfers to Pelican View Elementary, and Franklin’s thoroughly disinfected world is turned upside down. In less than a week, Sarah draws this neatest of fifth graders into the messiest of friendships. Franklin might actually start enjoying himself. That is, if he can just shake the fear that Sarah has head lice.

A Book Sense 76 Pick

“Touching, funny, and gloriously human.”

—
Kirkus Reviews,
Starred

“An appealing story with some memorable characters and a lot of heart.”

—
School Library Journal,
Starred

Also by Sue Stauffacher

HARRY SUE

At eleven years old, Harry Sue Clotkin already has a few strikes against her. She’s the only child of convicted felons, for one, and her best friend is a quadriplegic who won’t come out of his tree house (yes, you read that right). She’s surrounded by a swarm of little kids and stuck living with evil Granny Clotkin, whose in-home day care should be labeled hazardous to your health.

Harry Sue’s plan is to tough up and start the life of crime that will land her in the joint with her mom. But first she’s got to get Moonie Pie out of the bathtub, Spooner out of the swamp, and Homer out of the hole (you read that right, too).

Like Dorothy in her favorite story,
The Wizard of Oz,
Harry Sue’s got a long journey home. In this magical tale about a young girl desperate for a mother’s love, Harry Sue discovers that
surviving
may be about “toughing up,” but
Living
is about reaching out and finding love in the most unlikely places—even if it feels at first like taking a sucker punch to the heart.

An ALA Notable Book

A Book Sense 76 Pick

“Written with humor and heart, this is intricately plotted and full of unlikely but charming coincidences and characters of endearing eccentricity.”

—
Kirkus Reviews,
Starred

OTHER YEARLING BOOKS YOU WILL ENJOY

DONUTHEAD,
Sue Stauffacher

HARRY SUE,
Sue Stauffacher

CORNELIA AND THE AUDACIOUS ESCAPADES OF THE SOMERSET SISTERS,
Lesley M. M. Blume

BUD, NOT BUDDY,
Christopher Paul Curtis

BELLE PRATER’S BOY,
Ruth White

UNDER THE WATSONS’ PORCH,
Susan Shreve

TROUT AND ME,
Susan Shreve

THE LEGACY OF GLORIA RUSSELL,
Sheri Gilbert

Published by Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York

Text copyright © 2006 by Sue Stauffacher

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. For information address Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

Grateful acknowledgment is made to Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., and Harold Ober Associates Incorporated for permission to reprint “Poem” and an excerpt from “Passing Love” from
The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
by Langston Hughes, copyright © 1994 by the Estate of Langston Hughes. Reprinted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf and Harold Ober Associates Incorporated.

Yearling and the jumping horse design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

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Reprinted by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

eISBN: 978-0-375-84924-4

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