Author: Ruth Behar
Year Published: 2017
Genre: YA fiction
Pages: 231
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Location (my 2018 Google Reading map): USA (NY)
FTC Disclosure: I bought this book with my own money
Summary (from the inside flap of the book): When Ruthie Mizrahi moves with her family from her homeland of Cuba to the bustling streets of New York, it's a lot to take in. New sights, new sounds, and a new language. But Ruthie is adjusting. She's already mastering English and has made some new friends. But then Ruthie's in a car accident, and she ends up in a body cast that stretches all the way from her chest to her toes. Just when she was starting to feel like life in New York would be okay--now she'll have to lie in bed for months and be treated like a baby again. Then all kinds of interesting people start visiting, bringing stories and gifts, and suddenly, she starts to feel like everything might be okay after all.
Review: Another What a delightful book; I can definitely see why it won the Pura Belpré Award from the ALA. While the subject matter--a car accident that leaves Ruthie in a cast for almost a year, isn't a happy topic, the author deals with it in a dreamy and optimistic fashion. Perhaps that's because the book is based on real events experienced by the author when she was a child. When I read that in the Author's Note, it made me like the book and story even more. No wonder it felt so real.
Ruthie is a wonderful character who lights up a page even though she is going through a devastating experience. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, pouting, rejoicing, and crying when needed and warranted. We also get to see how the accident impacts her family and friends, particularly her mother and her best friend Danielle. I think many upper elementary and junior high students would like this book.
FTC Disclosure: I bought this book with my own money
Summary (from the inside flap of the book): When Ruthie Mizrahi moves with her family from her homeland of Cuba to the bustling streets of New York, it's a lot to take in. New sights, new sounds, and a new language. But Ruthie is adjusting. She's already mastering English and has made some new friends. But then Ruthie's in a car accident, and she ends up in a body cast that stretches all the way from her chest to her toes. Just when she was starting to feel like life in New York would be okay--now she'll have to lie in bed for months and be treated like a baby again. Then all kinds of interesting people start visiting, bringing stories and gifts, and suddenly, she starts to feel like everything might be okay after all.
Review: Another What a delightful book; I can definitely see why it won the Pura Belpré Award from the ALA. While the subject matter--a car accident that leaves Ruthie in a cast for almost a year, isn't a happy topic, the author deals with it in a dreamy and optimistic fashion. Perhaps that's because the book is based on real events experienced by the author when she was a child. When I read that in the Author's Note, it made me like the book and story even more. No wonder it felt so real.
Ruthie is a wonderful character who lights up a page even though she is going through a devastating experience. She wears her emotions on her sleeve, pouting, rejoicing, and crying when needed and warranted. We also get to see how the accident impacts her family and friends, particularly her mother and her best friend Danielle. I think many upper elementary and junior high students would like this book.
Challenges for which this counts:
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