“To Kill a Mockingbird” meets “Dirty Dancing”!

It’s 1959 in Newburgh, N.Y., and all 11-year-old Louisa (“Louey”) Levy wants to do is listen to rock ‘n roll and play ball with her big brother and their pals. It’s an idyllic, small-town life, until that life starts crumbling: In the space of a few weeks, Louey’s hero Buddy Holly is killed in a plane crash; her mother dies of cancer, and her dad, Newburgh’s city manager, suffers a stroke as he prepares for the city’s 250th anniversary celebration. When she finds her best friend’s big sister bleeding in an alley, Louey must quickly—and painfully—learn the meaning of loyalty and courage in the midst of loss. In the tradition of “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Dirty Dancing,” this touching novel is filled with eccentric, endearing characters, humor, and an exploration of Jewish and American values—all of which Louey needs to pull her through.