Great Used Book Find: `Icy Sparks’
Finding a best-selling novel at a used bookstore is one of my favorite things. But finding a surprise hit is even better. It takes time, analysis, and skill to hunt through hundreds of little-known titles and find a fantastic read.
Icy Sparks (1998) by 
Gwyn Hyman Rubio was one of my best finds to date.
I had never heard of the unexpected friendship story before it was in my hands at my favorite used book spot. Apparently Oprah had, because it was listed in her book club in 2001. Other than knowing that Oprah approved, all I had to go on was the back cover blurb. I am so glad I took the chance and spent the $4.
Icy Sparks, the title character, is a young girl living in the South in the 1950s, being raised by her grandparents, and struggling for acceptance.
Icy croaks. Literally. She has a tic that causes her to let out loud croaking-like noises and twitch, and has to face the cruel reality of being misunderstood at a too young age.
Then there’s Miss Emily Tanner, a local store owner. At 300+ pounds she also understands being teased, stared at, and an outcast in their small Kentucky town.
Naturally, Icy and Emily become fast and hard friends. But even Miss Emily can’t stop Icy’s grandparents from thinking the girl has a mental disorder.
Largely about common bond friendships, Icy Sparks also takes a brutally honest look at living in a world that thinks something is wrong with the way you are.
Oprah approved, and so do I.
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