Last in a Long Line of Rebels

Starred review from June 15, 2015
Tyre’s accomplished debut takes place in 1999 in the small Southern town of Zollicoffer, Tenn., where 12-year-old Lou Mayhew’s 175-year-old home is her only claim to fame. The daughter of a junkman and a pregnant “enviro-artist” mother, Lou is determined that the summer before seventh grade will be less boring than the previous one. Eavesdropping one day, she learns that her beloved house may soon be razed, and her mission immediately becomes clear. Enlisting her best friends to help save her home, high-spirited, persistent Lou finds a new interest in history—especially her family’s, which holds its own surprises. As the four children try to solve a Civil War mystery and find a cache of purportedly missing gold, they also confront a contemporary case of racism. Strong secondary characters, including Lou’s thrice-divorced flirtatious grandmother, help build the strong sense of small-town community. Tyre masterfully weaves historical details into Lou’s discoveries in ways that never feel facile, while deftly and satisfyingly resolving past and present puzzles. Ages 10–up. Agent: Susan Hawk, Bent Agency.

June 15, 2015
In Tyre's debut middle-grade novel, a girl's research into her family's history uncovers racism and injustice both past and present. Lou had prayed for an exciting summer, but fighting to save her 175-year-old family home from demolition wasn't what she had in mind. When Lou overhears the city's plan to seize the Mayhew family home, she and her friends make a plan. Their best chance is to register the house as a heritage site, so they search the museum, the library, and a Civil War-era diary written by Lou's ancestor for evidence of its historical significance. Instead, they stumble upon another mystery: an unsolved murder and stolen gold. Excerpts from the diary make this feel like historical fiction; Louise Duncan Mayhew's perspective in the 1860s is an intriguing contrast to Lou's modern narration at the turn of the 21st century. A major theme is the persistence of racism. Tensions are running high in town after the high school football star loses a college scholarship because of the coach's prejudice, and Lou's neighbor, who is intrusively suspicious of a black man visiting their house, is as disappointing as her slave-owning, Confederate ancestor. In the end, Lou and her community learn that it's never too late to right a wrong. Though at times heavy-handed and didactic, the story addresses injustice in plain language that is accessible to young readers who enjoy whodunits. (Mystery. 9-12)

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August 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-Lou Mayhew's summer after sixth grade is off to a bad start. While eavesdropping, she learns that her home, which has been in her family for 176 years and is next to her father's junkyard, is slated to be torn down through the process of eminent domain for city offices. Then she learns that Isaac, who works weekends for her father and is the best player on the high school football team, didn't win the scholarship to the University of Tennessee because of the coach's prejudice. Lou and her friends are convinced that there's got to be a way to save the house and get Isaac to UT. They believe the answer lies in a Civil War diary that Lou finds in an old box, along with some purportedly stolen gold. During the war, there was a "lost" shipment and all the clues lead to the ancestor who built her home. The characters are true to life, and the younger children and Isaac grow and mature over the summer. In the midst of solving a Civil War-era mystery, Lou and her friends confront racism in their own time. Lou feels deeply and is single-minded in her pursuit of justice. VERDICT A solid debut novel for middle graders who enjoy a blend of history and mystery.-Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades 4-6 Finding buried treasure, solving an old family mystery, and righting modern wrongs are a few things that push 12-year-old Louise Mayhew's summer from boring to exciting. Upon learning that her family's home is slated for demolition, Louise is determined to save the 175-year-old house by getting it declared historic. With the help of her two best friends and cousin Patty, the kids set out to learn about its Civil Warera history. Louise is surprised to find her great-great-great-grandfather was a Confederate army captain and an alleged thief and murderer. She is devastated to discover that her family once owned slaves, and equally upset that prejudice is still alive in her Tennessee town. Tyre's debut features characters that are believable in their naivete and sense of invincibility, even if the success of their various efforts is implausible. Louise's account of their summer adventures, with chapters headed by entries from a Civil War diary, should please middle-grade readers looking for a solid story with an intriguing historical connection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)