Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy

Oh, Footer. I love you.This book is so phenomenal, I can't believe I've never heard of it.Footer Davis is a spunky, curious, heavy-hearted, brave, romantic soul who captured my heart from the very first page, " The day my mother exploded a copperhead snake with an elephant gun, I decided I was genetically destined to become a felon or a big-game hunter. That was good, since I had tried being a ballerina, poet, artist, and musician, and I ducked at all of those."There's been a tragedy in Footer's home town. A fire. A murder. And some children have disappeared. She's trying to solve the mystery, but there's a fear that her mentally ill mother could be involved.I was intrigued by the mystery and Vaught actually did surprise me with its conclusion, but the heart of this novel is Footer's journey to find and accept herself. A series of odd occurrences make her start to question her own sanity and this tears at her relationship with her father, her adorable, older neighbor and former cop, and her best friend/crush.This book is impactful and sweet and powerful and oh so real, because life is messy AND scary sometimes.

Yes, it's written for middle grade readers, but adults will enjoy this story, which echoes the vibe of "To Kill a Mockingbird." Imagine Scout, Jem, and Dill brought into the 21st century but still in a small rural town with modern problems. Whether your age is 12 or a multiple of 12, you'll enjoy this story.

Susan Vaught has done it again. With an adorable, endearing protagonist, and a heartfelt, quirky, and comical cast of characters, this novel, exploring bi-polar disorder and a murder/arson mystery, was captivating from page 1. The romance was cute, and the inner dialogue flawless.Susan, please don't write any more horror, and keep bringing us stuff like Footer Davis - your realistic, physcological, issue-driven fiction. I will be a fan for life.

This book was amazing! I'm in the reading bowl at my school and thought I'd check this out. I'm so glad I did! Any sensible (and insensible) person would love this book!

Strange story.