Middle Grade/Young Adult
Beneath a Meth Moon
Laurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she’s still reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home. Laurel’s new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and T-Boom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and memories from her past.
Where it takes place:
Pass Christian, Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi and in the Midwest.
Where I wrote it:
In Park Slope, Brooklyn, and at the Macdowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire.
Why I wrote it:
I wanted to understand why someone would get involved in a drug that could ruin their life. And I wanted to understand the devastation of Katrina. Long after the news stopped reporting about it, people were still struggling. Laurel’s story is a hopeful one because I wanted to believe people survived hard circumstances and were able to move on.
Awards
- Bank Street Best Books of the Year
State Lists
- Keystone to Reading Book Award nominee (PA)
- 2014-2015 Florida Teens Read Award finalist
- 2014 Kentucky Bluegrass Award (nominee)
- Texas (nominee)
- Maryland (nominee)
