Mischief and Malice

Brief Description: In pre-World War II New Orleans, fourteen-year-old Addie goes to live with her Aunt Tootsie and Uncle Henry. She finds a mystery in the giant armoire filled with family heirlooms. It hides a terrible secret that could hurt her longtime friend, Tom, and his father, who just returned after several years. Publisher Marketing: Set in New Orleans, Louisiana, on the eve of World War II, "Mischief and Malice" is a brand new work from an iconic figure in young adult literature. Following the death of her Aunt Eveline, fourteen-year old Addie--who we first met in Berthe Amoss's classic "Secret Lives"--is now living with her Aunt Tooise, Uncle Henry, and her longtime rival cousin, Sandra Lee. A new family has just moved into Addie's former house, including a young girl who is just Addie's age. Meanwhile, Louis, the father of Tom, Addie's lifelong neighbor and best friend, suddenly returns after having disappeared when Tom was a baby. Between school dances, organizing a Christmas play, fretting about her hair, and a blossoming romance with Tom, Addie stumbles upon a mystery buried in the Great Catch All, an ancient giant armoire filled with heirlooms of her family's past, which holds a devastating secret that could destroy Louis and Tom's lives. Once again, Berthe Amoss has created an indelible portrait of a young girl coming of age in prewar New Orleans. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Berthe Amoss is the author and illustrator of twenty-eight children's and young adult books. Her picture book "The Cajun Gingerbread Boy" won a Children's Choice Award, and her YA novel "The Chalk Cross" was a finalist for the Edgar Allen Poe Award. She lives on the Gulf Coast in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Review Citations:

Publishers Weekly 03/02/2015 (EAN 9781939601445, Hardcover)

School Library Journal 05/01/2015 pg. 111 (EAN 9781939601445, Hardcover)

Booklist 05/01/2015 pg. 55 (EAN 9781939601452, Paperback)

Contributor Bio:  Amoss, Berthe For many years, Mrs. Amoss taught students at Tulane University how to write for children and conducted juvenile writing workshops around the South.