LOVE ME TENDER

A lyrical, contemporary, beautifully written middle grade novel. 13 year old Elvira is horrified when her mother Mel announces that she is pregnant.

Elvira’s family has never been the warm, fuzzy type. Most of the time, Elvira can’t stand the sight of her little sister, Kerrie. Elvira and her mother, Mel, fight more often than not. Mel hasn’t spoken to her own family in years. And when Mel announces she’s pregnant again, Elvira’s daddy storms off to Las Vegas to enter an Elvis impersonator competition.

But when an urgent phone call sends Elivra, Mel, and Kerrie on an unexpected trip to visit Mel’s family, Elvira discovers that love doesn’t always look like it does in television commercials–it can be as simple as a bucket of blueberries, an attic full of memories, or a song. But it’s there all right. You just have to know how to look for it.
Audrey Couloumbis is the author of several highly acclaimed books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor—winning Getting Near to Baby. She lives in upstate New York and Florida with her husband, Akilla, and their dog, Phoebe. They have two grown children.