Character Analysis
Zoey's grandma (her mom's mom) is a pretty groovy lady. Zoey has fond memories of visiting her while growing up. She recalls:
She always knew when I was coming for a visit. When I was a kid I used to think it was weird, but as I got older I appreciated the extra sense she had. All my life I've known that, no matter what, I could count on Grandma Redbird. During those first few awful months after Mom married John I think I would have shriveled up and died if I hadn't been able to escape every weekend to Grandma's house. (4.14)
Sounds like Grandma Redbird's presence in Zoey's life is totally supportive and awesome. And on top of Grandma Redbird helping Zoey through the blended family experience, she is also a problem-solver. Zoey says:
If Grandma didn't have the answers, she'd figure them out. Grandma Redbird understood people. She said it was because she hadn't lost touch with her Cherokee heritage and the tribal knowledge of the ancestral Wise Women she carried in her blood. (5.4)
Cherokee? Yep, Cherokee. Grandma Redbird imparted a lot of tribal knowledge to Zoey while Zoey was growing up: "we'd lay out a brightly colored blanket and eat a picnic lunch while Grandma told me stories of the Cherokee people and taught me the mysterious-sounding words of their language" (5.5). Zoey may hate her home life, but her grandma connects her to her familial past.
We get a glimpse of how caring Grandma Redbird is when Zoey passes out and wakes up, in the House of Night, because Grandma Redbird found her and immediately took her there. She does this in spite of it angering Zoey's mom, saying that she had to pretend that the cell phone cut out: "She chuckled and the mischievous spark in her eyes made her look like a little girl" (6.17). Grandma Redbird doesn't mind doing whatever she has to in order help her granddaughter, it seems, including pulling a bit of a fast one on her own daughter. Go, Grandma, go.
Zoey gets a chance to call her grandma when she feels overwhelmed at school, and Grandma's response to Zoey's anxiety is perfect: "There is nothing you could say that would make me stop loving you. I'm your Grandma today, tomorrow, and next year. I'll be your Grandma even after I join our ancestors in the spirit world, and from there, I'll still love you, Little Bird" (21.22). Yep, Grandma Redbird wins Supportive Grandmother of the Year award in our book. Too bad the rest of Zoey's family isn't like that.