SOLVED. YA Book 90's; Girl draws half of herself and relates it to her parent's divorce; title like "Maybe it's me", cover may have blonde girl in denim with cowboy hat [s]

[Joshua]

I'm looking for a YA book that I bought at a book fair in the early 90's. I never got to read the book (my mother lost it in a move). I know it was about a girl who had to do a project to draw herself. She only draws half herself and relates it to her parent's divorce. I want to say the title was something like "Maybe it's me", but I'm not certain. The cover had a girl dressed in denim. Blonde. I think a black cowboy hat.

[Serendi]

I added some details to the header; feel free to edit. Good luck!

[Joshua]

Thank you Serendi!

[Tab]

Some parts fit in Poor Gertie.
Puzzled by her father's departure after her parents divorce, and wishing that her mother didn't have to worry so much about money, Gertie finds solace in her drawings and the love of her remaining family.

Little more detail:
Beginning "Even the poor people on TV look rich and pretty," Gertie tells what it's really like to be the only child of a single parent who has a job that doesn't pay enough to live on. Quitely invisible at school, thin clad, often underfed, lonely because her beleaguered mom is too tired to talk, Gertie is plucky enough to assert that it's "not so bad, really." She has a "tough cookie" friend, Pearl; a Grampus who fixes things retrieved from dumpsters; a shoebox full of gum chewed on memorable occasions, and a substantial talent for drawing. When her class is given the assignment of drawing an imaginary world, she invents Gersworld, where "people don't care what other people look like or how much money they have. . .[they're] just trying to get by without hurting anyone. . ." (view spoiler)[Meanwhile, the family finances go from bad to worse; the landlord is about to evict them when, at Pearl's instigation, Gertie and Grampus have a sale of her drawings and his repaired scavengings. Even selling the chewed gum (to an art dealer !), they make enough to pay the rent; and since Mom gets a better job, all is now well.(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Joshua]

Tab, thanks for your help, but that's not it. This book was aimed to 13-14 year olds.

[Joshua]

I just remembered something that she drew herself, then she erased half herself up to her waist. It was a Scholastic book fair. 1992-1996. I wish I could get my hands on those flyers they sent out before the fair. I am pretty sure it was advertised.

[Tab]

Maybe, Ask Me Something Easy?

Here's a longer description:
In a deeply felt narrative, Addle (17) describes the impact of her parents' divorce on her own life and her family. Seven at the time of the blowup, Addle is a caring, active, curious child who loves her fun-loving, impractical father and finds it hard to please her perfectionist mother. (view spoiler)[After her father leaves, the unforgiving mother sees his personality in Addle, finding her every action suspect. Confused, Addie dreams that her father will return; meanwhile, her grades go down, her older sister sides with her mother, and the younger twins--who love Addie but are too little to defend her against their mother's anger--become deeply disturbed and speak mostly to each other, their split vision of the world reflecting the damage done by the divorce and the withdrawal of the more nurturing parent. (hide spoiler)]

I found this cover (hope this pic shows up)

[Joshua]

Tab, thanks so much. That is it.

[Joshua]

Thanks Tab. That is it!