Crazy Lady!
Crazy Lady! is a children's novel by Jane Leslie Conly, published in 1993 by HarperCollins and a Newbery Honor book in 1994.
Set in Tenley Heights, a small working-class neighborhood in northern Baltimore, the story is told in flashback by Vernon Dibbs. His family is struggling: his mother Mary died in 1980, his father works the second shift and isn’t always home, and Vernon has siblings who have already left home. Vernon’s life changes as he falls behind in school and spends time with friends who cause trouble, especially by picking on Maxine Flooter, the “Crazy Lady,” and her son Ronald.
Maxine, moved by Vernon’s troubles, enlists Miss Annie to tutor him in English. In return, Vernon must help Maxine around the house and with Ronald. As he spends more time with them, Vernon bonds with Maxine and Ronald and also grows closer to his father, who begins teaching him to read.
Ronald signs up for the local Special Olympics, and Vernon helps organize support with his friends, including a block party fundraiser. Maxine’s drinking and outbursts complicate things, and she even speaks harshly to Vernon at church. After Ronald wins medals at the games, he is set to move to North Carolina with relatives, and Vernon is shocked and heartbroken. He chases the car but is badly hurt; his father comforts him, saying, “Vernon, I’m here.”
Crazy Lady! has been controversial for its language and has been listed by the American Library Association as a challenged or banned book.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:38 (CET).