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idontkaren's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful writing, just felt a little too spare throughout and pretty flat at the end. I loved the characters though.
nicoles_card_catalog's review against another edition
3.0
Loved the writing style- very lyrical and poetic. Beautiful imagery and cadence.
bibliokris's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great read and very well written. Rhodes developed her protagonist well and showed her struggles and personality, as well as portraying the setting of New Orleans' Ninth Ward and Hurricane Katrina through smells, sounds and fear.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
emilymyhren's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book directly from the author via a Twitter giveaway. I could not put this down, I was on the edge of my seat! I can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
amdame1's review against another edition
4.0
Lanesha lives in the Ninth Ward in New Orleans. She is taken care of by Mama Ya-Ya who is 82 years old and is a wise woman, healer, and used to be a mid-wife. Lanesha's mom died in childbirth and her family refuses to take care of Lanesha. But Mama Ya-Ya loves Lanesha and the two of them are happy together. Now hurricane Katrina is coming and the two of them will be sorely tested as they will not be evacuating.
A powerful look at the meaning of family, great discussions to be had around several topics: family, hurricanes, adversity, etc.
CW: death, ghosts/spirits
A powerful look at the meaning of family, great discussions to be had around several topics: family, hurricanes, adversity, etc.
CW: death, ghosts/spirits
triscuit807's review against another edition
4.0
This upper middle grades novel is a cross between magical realism and historical. At the core is Hurricane Katrina's landfall and aftermath in New Orleans, but the event is experienced by young Lanesha and the magic woman who birthed and raised her, Mama Ya-Ya. Lanesha's mother died giving birth to her, that and the fact that she was "cursed" by being born with a caul over her eyes (removed by Mama Ya-Ya) meant abandonment by her mother's wealthy family and is why she is raised in the Ninth Ward, one of New Orleans poorest neighborhood. Mama Ya-Ya is an elderly midwife who in addition to some mundane skills is a magic worker and a seer of the future as well as ghosts (a trait Lanesha shares). The first half of the book introduces Lanesha and her world while the second is about Lanesha during the storm. I really enjoyed this one and think it should be a must read for anyone who wonders why people stayed rather than evacuating New Orleans. I read this for my 2016 Reading Challenge "read a book based on a true story" (PopSugar 2015).
kakrucke's review against another edition
3.0
I want to love this book. And I did like it. The reason it doesn't get more stars from me is that there are just too many things to have to suspend disbelief about. Hurricane Katrina is already a pretty overwhelming topic--even though it's completely real it still calls upon the reader to have to adjust their frame of reality. Add to that the fact that the main character and her elderly loved one can communicate with ghosts. And then a plot with too many coincidences (in one week a pretty solitary child gets two true friends and a dog and a hurricane?). It feels like too much for a children's book. But when I gave in and suspended disbelief, it was quite moving.