First published 2008
Elvira has little patience for her younger sister Kerrie and constantly clashes with her mother Mel. Their household lacks warmth, and Mel has cut ties with her own relatives for years. When Mel reveals she's expecting another baby, Elvira's father abandons the family drama and heads to Las Vegas to compete as an Elvis impersonator. Then an emergency call forces Elvira, Mel, and Kerrie to make an unplanned journey to visit Mel's estranged family. During this trip, Elvira begins to understand that genuine affection doesn't mirror the perfect families she sees in advertisements. Real love appears in unexpected forms: fresh blueberries shared between relatives, forgotten treasures stored in dusty attics, or melodies that connect generations. These small gestures reveal the bonds that exist beneath surface tensions and old grudges.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, relationships, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption
Setting: Las Vegas
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
224 pages · Hardcover · Random House Books for Young Readers