Chicago Blues

I have just kidnapped my little sister, although she doesn't know it yet.

Seventeen-year-old Lissa Hastings has a big problem. Her mother, who used to be a well-known cabaret singer, has now become a very well-known alcoholic and can no longer take care of Lissa's eleven-year-old sister Marnie. She tells Lissa that if she can't trick Marnie into leaving home and going to live with Lissa, she's going to turn her over to Social Services.

Lissa doesn't know how she's going to handle becoming a parent overnight. She's the youngest student at a prestigious art school in Chicago, and if it weren't for the miniature rooms she's been lucky enough to sell to collectors, she'd have practically no money at all. What she doesn't know yet is that having her high-spirited sister come and live with her is going to be one of the richest experiences of her life.

The voices are authentic; the characters deal with powerful emotions that are never overstated, and are balanced with a healthy dose of humor. A tightly written novel about give and take, and knowing when to let go. –Kirkus Reviews

A first-semester scholarship student at a prestigious Chicago art school, Lissa is handed the job of temporary parent for her 11-year-old sister, Marnie, when their mother's alcoholism reels out of control. A crisp and amiable look at believable characters coping with trying circumstances. —Publishers Weekly

A 1996 ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults

A 1998 South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee