Tumbleweed Skies — Valerie Sherrard

The moment Ellie and her father pull up in front of Grandmother Acklebee's farm in Weybolt, Saskatchewan, Ellie knows she isn't wanted. But Ellie's father has just taken a job as a traveling salesman, and he has no other choice. The road is no place for a nine-year-old.

Ellie doesn't know her grandmother, but she learns quickly that the older woman blames her son-in-law and granddaughter for her daughter's death. And although her Uncle Roger is a kind man, Ellie is quickly cowed by the angry old woman, who shows her little kindness and no affection. Determined to survive the situation with her dignity intact, Ellie isn't about to show her grandmother that she can be hurt.

But how long can Ellie pretend that she doesn't care? And is there no way to melt her grandmother's heart? Set on the Canadian prairies of the mid-fifties, Tumbleweed Skies is a moving story of isolation, loneliness, and one family's journey to heal itself. Booklist Editors' Choice 2010 award winner's list

Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children's Literature Nominee, 2010