Review: Love Like Sky

Love Like Sky by Leslie C. Youngblood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

G-baby (aka Georgie or Georgianna) is desperate for her older stepsister, Tangie, to like her. Unfortunately, Tangie doesn't seem to have any interest in developing a relationship with G-baby or her younger sister Peaches. To make life more complicated, G-baby isn't a huge fan of her dad's new wife, Millicent (aka Millipede). On top of all her family struggles, G-baby and her best friend, Nikki, seem to do nothing but fight. G-baby's life really turns upside down when six-year-old Peaches ends up in ICU extremely ill. Suddenly, all she cares about is Peaches getting better and coming home. Seeing G-baby so upset helps Tangie realize how important family is, blended or not, and she begins to act like the big sister G-baby had longed for her to be.

I'm extremely lucky because my parents have been married for 41 years. Both sets of my grandparents were together until death parted them. My in-laws have been married for 45 years + or -(not sure on the exact number). I have no immediate personal experience with divorce, so I could not relate to the complications of a blended family. However, plenty of students and teachers alike will understand exactly how G-baby feels. I did connect to Peaches' situation. My cousin English contracted Meningitis when she was 10 (I was 25); I vividly remember the phone call from my mom telling me she was in the hospital, and it was unclear if she would survive. At the time, I didn't understand the severity of Meningitis, and I felt like my family was overreacting. I feel awful now because I realize how scared my aunt and uncle must have been. My aunt still posts how grateful she is for English's doctors every year on the anniversary of her getting sick. Any reader with a relative who has experienced a severe illness will relate to G-baby's pain and worry for her little sister.

I loved Leslie C. Youngblood's vivid language. Her description of love is pure perfection. She compares a parent's love for a child to the sky. The sky never runs out, just like a parent's love never runs out. Any good parent will totally agree with her on that.

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