- Available now
- New eBook additions
- New kids additions
- New teen additions
- Most popular
- Try something different
- See all
- Available now
- New audiobook additions
- New kids audiobook additions
- New teen additions
- Try something different
- See all
Starred review from April 9, 2012
Eleven years ago, Mo LoBeau arrived in Tupelo Landing, N.C., a newborn baby girl washed downstream during a hurricane and rescued by “the Colonel,” a stranger who can’t remember anything about his own past. Both are taken in by Miss Lana, owner of the Tupelo Cafe. Mo (short for Moses) loves the Colonel and Lana, but she can’t curb her curiosity: isn’t anybody missing a lucky newborn? Mo scratches this itch by sending messages in bottles to her “Upstream Mother.” Into this implausible but hilarious premise arrives an out-of-town detective, a dead body (cafe customer Mr. Jesse), a long-forgotten bank robbery, and a kidnapping. This much plot might sink a story, but Turnage makes it work. Here is a writer who has never met a metaphor or simile she couldn’t put to good use. Miss Lana’s voice is “the color of sunlight in maple syrup,” while “umors swirl around the Colonel like ink around an
octopus.” But it’s Mo’s wry humor that makes this first novel completely memorable. “Boredom kills,” she suggests as Mr. Jesse’s cause of death. “I’ve had close brushes myself, during math.” Ages 10–up. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, the Knight Agency.
Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget. You can still place a hold on the title, and your hold will be automatically filled as soon as the title is available again.
The OverDrive Read format of this ebook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.
Your session has expired. Please sign in again so you can continue to borrow titles and access your Loans, Wish list, and Holds pages.
If you're still having trouble, follow these steps to sign in.
Add a library card to your account to borrow titles, place holds, and add titles to your wish list.
Have a card? Add it now to start borrowing from the collection.
The library card you previously added can't be used to complete this action. Please add your card again, or add a different card. If you receive an error message, please contact your library for help.