First Favorite Read Giveaway: Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons

I came up with this giveaway idea while browsing shelves in my favorite used book store this week. Each time I happened upon a favorite book (already sitting on my shelves at home), I had to squash the impulse to put it in my cart. Finally, I decided to give in and share these books with you! It's a win-win situation: you get great books to read, and I get to rescue my favorites.

All of the books I'll be giving away are unique in that they are some of my favorite reads. They are also not new releases, but span from 1987 to 2007 in date of publication. Each week I'll feature a new Favorite Read, with a brief summary and review. Then, you can sign up to enter to win!

Here is a list of upcoming Favorite Read Giveaways:

• Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons (1987)
• The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton (1988)
• A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons (1989)
• Before Women Had Wings by Connie May Fowler (1996)
• We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates (1996)
• The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman (2002)
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (2003)
• The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (2005)
• The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian (2007)

This week, Kaye Gibbons' first novel Ellen Foster is up for grabs.

Summary: In Ellen Foster, the title character is an 11-year-old whose mother has died and whose father is by turns abusive and neglectful. She is thrust into one house and then another in a seemingly never-ending series of foster homes. Above it all, she has capabilities beyond her years to remove herself from her often terrible situations, and to make the best of anything. The novel deals with dark subject matter, but manages to stay hopeful.

Review: I devoured Ellen Foster when I was in high school, and then quickly gobbled up every book Gibbons wrote afterward. My favorite novel of hers is A Virtuous Woman, but there is no denying the appeal of this 11-year-old narrator. Ellen is a precocious young girl, wise beyond her years. The novel is a short 126 pages, but in that short span of pages Gibbons manages to draw an in-depth picture of Ellen's world. My favorite genre is southern literature, and Gibbons' first book is the epitome of everything that is grand about writing south of the Mason-Dixon line. The first line should convince you: "When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy."

Fill out the entry form below for your chance to win. (Extra entries for following, tweeting, posting, and sharing on Facebook.) Come back next week for a chance for another A Worn Path Favorite Read! Comments don't count for entry, but are welcome, as always!