Between Two Skies

Evangeline Riley loves Bayou Perdue, the small coastal community in Louisiana she calls home.  Her father is a fisherman, and her mother owns a diner.  She is closest to her grandmother, also named Evangeline.  The two share a deep connection to the bayou and its people.

One day while she's out on the water, she meets Tru.  He misjudged the water depth and stranded his boat.  With a little work, Evangeline helps him get free, and they spend a few hours together before heading back to the festivities at the local marina.
Evangeline doesn't have long to think about Tru because it's only a short time later that a hurricane forms out in the Atlantic.  At first, no one is any more concerned than usual, but overnight Katrina turns into a monster, and Evangeline and her family decide to evacuate.

That's how they end up in Georgia.  At first, everyone just wants to go home, but it doesn't take long before they realize that won't happen anytime soon.  Evangeline and her older sister Mandy enroll at the local high school, and that's where Evangeline runs into Tru again.  What are the chances that these two Katrina refugees would end up in the same place?

They form a fast friendship based on mutual love and longing for the Louisiana coast that quickly turns to love.  Evangeline has never been in love before, and she is happy for the distraction from her parents fighting about whether or not to return to Bayou Perdue.  When Tru's family disappears leaving no contact information behind, she is devastated.

Evangeline may be just a sixteen-year-old kid, but she knows how she feels about Tru and Bayou Perdue.  Can she find a way to be true to herself without causing further pain and upset to her family?

Joanne O'Sullivan's debut novel is a sweet love story and a beautiful love letter to the Louisiana Bayous and their residents.  Recommended for grades 8 and up for alcohol use.