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0ri's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
3.0
This story begins with Nia living in poverty with her father, who drinks, and her little brother. They are living in a shanty town in Jakarta, Indonesia. Nia is very intelligent, but intelligence does not pay the school fees, so she is forced to drop out of school.
Nia's mother died in childbirth, and her father mourns in his own way, which is drinking all their earnings away.
This story seemed so familiar, a young girl who is denied education, because of poverty. It is a sad state of affairs.
Good middle school book that could introduce children to how others in the world live.
The name of the book refers to a legend of Jakarta, and Nia writes down her own versions of the stories.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Nia's mother died in childbirth, and her father mourns in his own way, which is drinking all their earnings away.
This story seemed so familiar, a young girl who is denied education, because of poverty. It is a sad state of affairs.
Good middle school book that could introduce children to how others in the world live.
The name of the book refers to a legend of Jakarta, and Nia writes down her own versions of the stories.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
amumreads's review against another edition
4.0
Most of the middle grade I read is pretty light hearted but this book was different. It was beautiful, inspiring and sad.
Set in Jakarta, Indonesia, this is the story of Nia. After her mother dies in childbirth, her father become depressed and turns to alcohol and she is forced to take over the family food cart and the responsibility of taking care of her little brother. In Indonesia, free public schooling only covers primary and middle grades but you must pay for high school (a fact I wasn’t aware of) and therefore Nia is unable to go as her family can barely afford food and rent. It is such a good representation of poverty and the struggles that young people are facing. Even though this is a work of fiction, knowing it’s happening in the real world right now is humbling.
After miraculously surviving a bus crash, Nia is thought to have ‘good luck’ magic by the people in her town and she can barely keep up with the business her food cart is receiving. Good luck only lasts so long though.
Without giving away any of the book and spoiling too much, I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I can’t wait for Ava to be a little older to be able to share it with her. I think it is so important to introduce our children to other cultures and how people live.
Set in Jakarta, Indonesia, this is the story of Nia. After her mother dies in childbirth, her father become depressed and turns to alcohol and she is forced to take over the family food cart and the responsibility of taking care of her little brother. In Indonesia, free public schooling only covers primary and middle grades but you must pay for high school (a fact I wasn’t aware of) and therefore Nia is unable to go as her family can barely afford food and rent. It is such a good representation of poverty and the struggles that young people are facing. Even though this is a work of fiction, knowing it’s happening in the real world right now is humbling.
After miraculously surviving a bus crash, Nia is thought to have ‘good luck’ magic by the people in her town and she can barely keep up with the business her food cart is receiving. Good luck only lasts so long though.
Without giving away any of the book and spoiling too much, I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I can’t wait for Ava to be a little older to be able to share it with her. I think it is so important to introduce our children to other cultures and how people live.
abigailbat's review against another edition
Nia dreams of continuing her education but her family doesn’t have the fees for high school. When her alcoholic father is injured in a police altercation, Nia must take her family’s food cart into her own hands to put food on the table for her little brother. This is a peek inside a life of abject poverty and the story is gritty but not without hope.
Hand to readers of TRASH by Andy Mulligan or AMAL UNBOUND by Aisha Saaed.
Hand to readers of TRASH by Andy Mulligan or AMAL UNBOUND by Aisha Saaed.
chloah214's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jillcd's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved this quick read about a strong, confident, creative, young girl growing up in the slums of Jakarta. Nia’s inventive tales regarding Dewi Kadita, add to the depth of the story. Middle school.
leahbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
For books published within the US, even those featuring people of color generally take place within the country, so it's great to have a chance to read something that takes place somewhere else. Indonesia is drawn quite vividly, and Nia is certainly a heroine to root for, one whose creativity is relatable and whose perseverance is admirable. The plot does skew toward the realistic rather than the idealistic: it tackles alcoholism, child marriage, household responsibilities sometimes foisted prematurely children, lack of educational opportunities, and concerns of poverty in general. Nia's friend Yuli, for example, begins making money by helping to sell drugs and uses her earnings (many times more than Nia's) to buy a phone and jeans rather than to pay for school as Nia would. Even the uplifting (?) ending, wherein Nia will eventually be able to go to high school, comes only as a result of her working as a tutor in the school to earn her way. And things did skew toward the extremely dark, especially for a kid's book, as in the bus accident scene, or the incident where Nia is almost stoned and burned alive by her fellow stall owners in the marketplace.
I think introducing kids to other cultures is necessary, and I don't want to push for things to be sugar-coated; many of the issues Nia faces are similar to those real young people have, and it's important to expose kids to lives unlike their own and to raise awareness in young readers. But I wonder at the blunt manner in which it's done here, especially considering the majority of readers will likely never travel to Indonesia or meet Indonesian people to therefore gain a better rounded view of the country. It comes off here as so significantly negative that it leaves me wondering about whether that was the author's intent.
I think introducing kids to other cultures is necessary, and I don't want to push for things to be sugar-coated; many of the issues Nia faces are similar to those real young people have, and it's important to expose kids to lives unlike their own and to raise awareness in young readers. But I wonder at the blunt manner in which it's done here, especially considering the majority of readers will likely never travel to Indonesia or meet Indonesian people to therefore gain a better rounded view of the country. It comes off here as so significantly negative that it leaves me wondering about whether that was the author's intent.
jilljemmett's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fantastic story! It was exciting and suspenseful.
This was a fast paced story. I almost read all of it in one sitting. There were many impactful scenes, such as a bus crash and a fight at the market. Even though these were scenes where bad things happened, they would make an impact on the reader because of how sudden and life changing they were for the characters. It made for a thrilling story.
This book deals with some serious issues such as child marriage and the lack of available education for young girls in certain parts of the world. I’m sure some kids in Western countries couldn’t even imagine these kinds of things happening to girls like them. It was chilling to read about, because there is nothing the girls can do in these situations to save themselves. Nia was lucky in this story, but most girls aren’t as lucky.
I really enjoyed this novel! I highly recommend it for middle grade readers!
Thank you Pajama Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a fast paced story. I almost read all of it in one sitting. There were many impactful scenes, such as a bus crash and a fight at the market. Even though these were scenes where bad things happened, they would make an impact on the reader because of how sudden and life changing they were for the characters. It made for a thrilling story.
This book deals with some serious issues such as child marriage and the lack of available education for young girls in certain parts of the world. I’m sure some kids in Western countries couldn’t even imagine these kinds of things happening to girls like them. It was chilling to read about, because there is nothing the girls can do in these situations to save themselves. Nia was lucky in this story, but most girls aren’t as lucky.
I really enjoyed this novel! I highly recommend it for middle grade readers!
Thank you Pajama Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
bookishuniversee's review
4.0
Was sent a free review copy by @uqpbooks and @ausyabloggers in exchange for an honest review. In no particular way does this influence my opinion.
This book is set in Indonesia, where we sea Nia and many other people live in poverty. I love Nia so much. Her determination is everything. This is an amazing book to pick up for middles graders, no, all ages, to learn to not give up and to keep being resilient. Despite Nia needing to take on many responsibilities such as looking after her little brother without the aid of her parents, she doesn’t give into what is written in the fate for many young girls in poverty. She is determined to go to high school and be a writer.
As always Kadarusman writing is so beautiful and you just want to keep reading as you get more absorbed into he story. I devoured this book in one day cause I just couldn’t put it down. While her stories are written younger age, they deal with so much important topics. I highly recommend everyone to pick up her other books such as, The Theory of Hummingbirds, after they pick up this one.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CK2E77ggR2R/?igshid=19afstfgvzuag
This book is set in Indonesia, where we sea Nia and many other people live in poverty. I love Nia so much. Her determination is everything. This is an amazing book to pick up for middles graders, no, all ages, to learn to not give up and to keep being resilient. Despite Nia needing to take on many responsibilities such as looking after her little brother without the aid of her parents, she doesn’t give into what is written in the fate for many young girls in poverty. She is determined to go to high school and be a writer.
As always Kadarusman writing is so beautiful and you just want to keep reading as you get more absorbed into he story. I devoured this book in one day cause I just couldn’t put it down. While her stories are written younger age, they deal with so much important topics. I highly recommend everyone to pick up her other books such as, The Theory of Hummingbirds, after they pick up this one.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CK2E77ggR2R/?igshid=19afstfgvzuag
tien's review
4.0
A beautiful eye-catching cover but the thing that the book called to me about is its setting. It is set in Jakarta (capital of Indonesia) which was where I was born. I also spent my first 15 years there so I am mostly excited in being able to reminisce about my childhood and maybe also to be able to share with my own children, what it was like.
I am embarrassed to admit that I'm not familiar with this particular mythology of Dewi Kadita. It is possible though that I've just forgotten a lot of the stories as I have spent more years living in Australia than Indonesia. However, the way these stories are told in the book sound just like they would be told except, of course, in a different language.
Nia is certainly a strong character and she grew to be even stronger, at the end. Her experiences are not to be envied but luckily, she has her own guardian angels. She is definitely a character I can empathise with, even when her naivety nearly brings her to ruins. Her passion for writing and education, her love for her brother, and her diligence are admirable and truly aspiring.
Not all her friends are like Nia, of course. In fact, all her best friend wanted is to buy a new mobile phone and that's what she's saving for. She may sound rather shallow from this one sentence but do not underestimate her resourcefulness! Nia's father is a drunkard and basically useless but there is another older male character for which I'm still scratching my head over as I just don't understand the different pictures portrayed of him. I'd really like him to be better developed.
My childhood is not at all like Nia's, the protagonist of this novel, as I've been so very blessed in life but I have seen with my own eyes those slums she lives in. I've worn the red & white uniform her brother wears to school. I've bought & eaten my share of fried bananas and martabak (I've introduced my boys to this last delicious dessert and now they'd fight me for the last piece!). To me, this novel is a trip through memory lanes and such a wonderful journey as I read this all in a single sitting. I loved it but unfortunately, due to the serious note of this novel, I've not been able to get the boys interested. Maybe another time...
Girl of the Southern Sea is a delightful coming-of-age story of a young girl chasing after her dreams. It is a novel which helps you see a little bit of how the other half of the world live and one that encourages all to never never give up.
Thanks to University of Queensland Press for copy of book in exchange of honest review. And thanks, AusYABloggers for organising the tour.
I am embarrassed to admit that I'm not familiar with this particular mythology of Dewi Kadita. It is possible though that I've just forgotten a lot of the stories as I have spent more years living in Australia than Indonesia. However, the way these stories are told in the book sound just like they would be told except, of course, in a different language.
Nia is certainly a strong character and she grew to be even stronger, at the end. Her experiences are not to be envied but luckily, she has her own guardian angels. She is definitely a character I can empathise with, even when her naivety nearly brings her to ruins. Her passion for writing and education, her love for her brother, and her diligence are admirable and truly aspiring.
Not all her friends are like Nia, of course. In fact, all her best friend wanted is to buy a new mobile phone and that's what she's saving for. She may sound rather shallow from this one sentence but do not underestimate her resourcefulness! Nia's father is a drunkard and basically useless but there is another older male character for which I'm still scratching my head over as I just don't understand the different pictures portrayed of him. I'd really like him to be better developed.
My childhood is not at all like Nia's, the protagonist of this novel, as I've been so very blessed in life but I have seen with my own eyes those slums she lives in. I've worn the red & white uniform her brother wears to school. I've bought & eaten my share of fried bananas and martabak (I've introduced my boys to this last delicious dessert and now they'd fight me for the last piece!). To me, this novel is a trip through memory lanes and such a wonderful journey as I read this all in a single sitting. I loved it but unfortunately, due to the serious note of this novel, I've not been able to get the boys interested. Maybe another time...
Girl of the Southern Sea is a delightful coming-of-age story of a young girl chasing after her dreams. It is a novel which helps you see a little bit of how the other half of the world live and one that encourages all to never never give up.
Thanks to University of Queensland Press for copy of book in exchange of honest review. And thanks, AusYABloggers for organising the tour.