Rabble Starkey

By the time she is twelve years old, Parable Ann Starkey—better known as simply Rabble—has had her fair share of trouble. Her father left her and her teenage mother when Rabble was just one month old, and she went to live with her grandmother, Gnomie, until she passed away. More than anything, Rabble craves stability, and she may have found it now, living with her mother and the Bigelows. Rabble and her mother, Sweet Hosanna, have lived over the Bigelows’ garage for the past four years. Veronica Bigelow is twelve, too, and she’s more than Rabble’s best friend; she’s like a sister. When mental illness takes Veronica’s mother to a distant hospital, the Starkeys move into the larger house to help Mr. Bigelow take care of Veronica’s younger brother, Gunther. As the two families grow closer, Rabble feels more at home than she ever has. Something that feels like family has formed. For Rabble, it feels like forever—but can it truly last?

First published in 1987, Rabble Starkey was one of two-time Newbery medalist Lois Lowry’s first novels, and its powerful and thought-provoking themes will still touch the hearts of readers today.