Crazy Lady (180 Pages)

I recently came across this book, which I hadn't seen in years.I only have good memories of this book by Jane Leslie Conly. I grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. We lived on a quiet street- well, usually quiet. However, on frequent weekend nights, we could hear an elderly woman leaning out of her bedroom window screaming. Nothing was wrong with her; she just would scream. We called her the crazy lady, and we were terrified to go near her front door. This book is a quick read and appropriate for both boys and girls. Vernon wanted to take part in his high school sports program, but he had failed English the year before. In order to play, he needed to be tutored and take a test. Well, his next door neighbor was a retired English teacher, and he went to her for help. He was honest with her and said he didn't have any money to pay her. Guess who lived next door to this retired teacher? The crazy lady herself! The teacher told Vernon that she would get him through English without being paid if he would work for Maxine Flooter, (the crazy lady). There was no getting around it. That was the deal. When Vernon goes to Maxine's house, he discovers she has a son, Ronald, who is retarded. As Vernon puts in time, he becomes fond of Ronald, who appears to adore Vernon. One day, Vernon finds out that Ronald can not participate in the Special Olympics, because he doesn't own any sneakers. Vernon gets his friends together and they decide to hold a neighborhood fair to raise money for Vernon. What happens after this is bitter-sweet, and worth discussion. Kids will love this novel.