Toning the Sweep — Angela Johnson

Winner of the Coretta Scott King AwardA School Library Journal Best BookA Booklist Editor's ChoiceOne Last LookEmmie and her mother are headed for the desert to help Grandmama Ola pack up her life. Box by box, the pieces of Ola's past are neatly tucked away, and a collection of memories is opened. As the end of their final visit draws closer, Emmie, Mama, and Ola come to terms with the history they share. Each holds on to a separate truth -- a truth about life, about death, and about themselves.