United Tates of America — Paula Danziger

Skate Tate has a good life. She has close friends, a loving family, and her beloved Great Uncle Mort (GUM for short) who lives every day as if it were an adventure. Skate would like things to stay just the way they are. But life doesn't work that way. For one thing, Skate has to figure out the strange new world of Biddle Middle, where eighth graders rule the roost, old friendships start to change, and a lowly sixth-grader has to struggle to make a place for herself. But other, more painful changes, are also in store for the Tates, and the story of how this close knit family responds to sudden tragedy will move and delight listeners everywhere. Told with her trademark wit and wisdom, filled with big laughs and unexpected tears, Paula Danziger's newest novel is one of her finest achievements.