Everybody in Coal Station, Virginia thinks Woodrow Prater is a little kooky, including his cousin Gypsy. See, one night Woodrow’s mama Belle just up and disappeared and no one has seen hide nor hair of her since. Now, Woodrow is living next door to Gypsy with their grandparents and Gypsy can’t wait to find out if Woodrow knows how or why Belle Prater evaporated. Unfortunately, Gypsy doesn’t know how to go about asking very tactfully, and Woodrow is being pretty close-mouthed about the whole affair. There’ll be a whole lotta hurt feelings and broken hearts before the mystery of Belle Prater is finally solved. A fine, folky read that was chosen as a Newbery Honor book in 1996.