Claiming Georgia Tate

A brave, engaging first novel featuring the great title character. Georgia Tate goes through some harrowing times, facing just about the worst thing a young girl can, betrayal by a parent. But she's a strong person and Amateau is a strong writer whose distinctive voice and narrative courage carry you through.

Georgia Tate, 12, lives with her grandparents, and when her grandmother dies, she is sent to live with her father, a man whom she has avoided all her life due to his inappropriate interest in her. With her father, she endures horrific abuse, and she must escape him to save herself.
At times this story is extremely farfetched, like an entertaining but unrealistic movie, but mostly you can forget that the things that happen to Georgia Tate happen very infrequently in real life, and rarely to the same person (and I'm not talking about the abuse).
What is so wonderful about this book is Georgia Tate's indomitable spirit, well worth making it through some plot twists you'll be tempted to rais your eyebrows about.

Students will like this book...they are very interested in books about abuse. This one is very well written and will give them something to think about.