The novel is set in 1957, in the small town of Satter, Louisiana, where 12-year-old Tiger Ann Parker lives with her mentally challenged parents.
She tries to get the popular girl in her class, Abby Lynn Anders, to like her but fails because of one of her mother's childish outbursts.
When her beloved grandmother suddenly dies, Tiger faces the choice of either staying with her parents or moving in with her glamorous Aunt Dorie Kay in Baton Rouge.
Saitter is based on the author's hometown of Forest Hill, Louisiana.
In 2001, Hyperion and Showtime produced a successful film adaptation of My Louisiana Sky, starring Kelsey Keel as Tiger Ann Parker, Amelia Campbell as Corinna Ramsey Parker, Chris Owens as Lonnie Parker, Michael Cera as Jesse Wade, Shirley Knight as grandmother, and Juliette Lewis as Aunt Dorie Kay.