White Oleander
By Janet Fitch

Astrid, the only child of a single mother who is alternately brilliant but self-obsessed, worships her mother until their world is shattered after Astrid's mother, devestated after she's rejected by a lover, murders him and is sent to jail. Alison Lohman plays Astrid, the young girl who is subsequently shuttled between foster homes, struggling to find an identity of her own and cope with the circumstances around her. Michelle Pfeiffer, Renée Zellweger, Robin Wright Penn and Noah Wyle co-star in this 2002 film, based on Janet Fitch's 1999 book, a 1999 Oprah's Book Club pick.