In a novel drawn from her early childhood, author Ruth White tells of her family’s struggling existence in a coal-mining town from the vantage of her eldest sister, Audrey. Audrey dislikes the “Little Audrey” jokes she’s teased about—jokes based on a silly girl from the newspaper comics. Little Audrey of comics fame always finds herself making the best of outrageous situations, whereas Audrey White doesn’t find much to laugh about when her father comes home drunk or her depressed mother can barely scrape together a meal for her and her sisters, the “three little pigs.” Writing in a fresh voice and distinct dialect, Ruth White creates a strong visual impression of their painful, hardscrabble life in 1948 rural Virginia. Despite the gritty tone, moments of tenderness make Little Audrey a meaningful read, and there is hope born of tragedy by the novel’s end. (Ages 10–14)

"What else would you wish for?" Daddy says. "If you could have anything in the world, what would you wish for?"
I shrug. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe . . ."
"Maybe what?"
"For us to live better than we do."
He does not say anything.

In 1948, award-winning author Ruth White lived in Jewell Valley, a coal camp nestled between the hills of southwestern Virginia, with her mother, still mourning for a baby who died four years earlier; her father, who spent the weekends and most of his pay out drinking; and her three older sisters, Audrey, Yvonne, and Eleanor. Told in Audrey's voice, this is how the author imagines Audrey's experiences during a time of great trauma for the White family – and what happened before they were able to live a better life.

This snapshot of life in a coal camp, complete with everyday heartaches and joys – as well as stories, songs, and jokes – is Ruth White's most personal work to date.

Little Audrey is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.