Audrey Coulumbis is a Newbery award winning author. Getting Near to Baby is one of my favorite Newbery books primarily because like Out of the Dust, Okay for Now, The Wednesday Wars and Bud, Not Buddy, Coulumbis' books deal with difficult subjects in a non over the top way.

This small book packs a whallop without leaving the reader feeling bruised. When twelve year old Casey returns home from school realizing she has been abandoned by her step mother, she tries as best as possible to soldier on. No stranger to loss, her father died a number of years ago. Knowing her step mother loves her, she is surprised at the lack of care and consideration.

Afraid and brave, she relies on the foster child her the super of the New York City apartment building. When the street wise foster child of the super of the building relies on her fears to convince her to steal from an elderly woman, she walks down an uncharted path. Knowing she needs rent money and food, despite her moral compass, she follows through with the brazen plan.

Tentatively reaching out to her step grandmother nets an amazing response of kindness and compassion.

This is an intricate story of fear, love, abandonment and redemption. Twelve year old Casey learns that life and love are very complicated and people aren't always what they appear to be.

It is a book of pleasant surprises. I recommend that you say yes to reading this one! ( )

In her efforts to hang on following the disappearance of her stepmother, Casey resorts to anything including robbery. ( )

Young Adult book. This is the story of a 12-year old girl living with her stepmother. She runs away & takes up with an older kid, a delinquent with a heart of gold, and then her grandmother shows up & everything ends well.