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greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Death
emdoux's review against another edition
5.0
Twelve year-old Lanesha lives in New Orleans, in a neighborhood called the Ninth Ward. She doesn’t have a whole lot – her mother died while giving birth to her, and her mother’s rich family won’t have anything to do with her because her mother wasn’t much older than Lanesha was when she got pregnant. Mama Ya-Ya, her midwife, takes in Lanesha and raises her to be happy with what she’s got.
Lanesha loves her life, even though she doesn’t have many friends – the ones she does have are for life. One day, Mama Ya-Ya has a vision – a terrible hurricane is coming – and she will not survive. Then she Lanesha begin to see news reports about Katrina - and begin to prepare. Many others in the Ninth Ward are evacuating, but Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya have nowhere to go and Katrina is coming quickly.
I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. When I read the review of it (or remembered it later) I didn't recall anything about the spiritual nature of this book - which was the part I really, really enjoyed. The book's writing style reminded me a lot of Keeper by Kathi Appelt, and the main characters are similar. All in all, it's a great book about both New Orleans culture and about Katrina. I would give it to as young as a good third grade reader -- I think my cousin Michelle would really like it, from what I've heard she's reading.
Lanesha loves her life, even though she doesn’t have many friends – the ones she does have are for life. One day, Mama Ya-Ya has a vision – a terrible hurricane is coming – and she will not survive. Then she Lanesha begin to see news reports about Katrina - and begin to prepare. Many others in the Ninth Ward are evacuating, but Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya have nowhere to go and Katrina is coming quickly.
I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. When I read the review of it (or remembered it later) I didn't recall anything about the spiritual nature of this book - which was the part I really, really enjoyed. The book's writing style reminded me a lot of Keeper by Kathi Appelt, and the main characters are similar. All in all, it's a great book about both New Orleans culture and about Katrina. I would give it to as young as a good third grade reader -- I think my cousin Michelle would really like it, from what I've heard she's reading.
jenennap29's review against another edition
5.0
This is a story of survival. It is powerful and moving for a middle grade novel!
asealey925's review against another edition
4.0
A really heartfelt look into what Katrina did to Ninth Ward residents...with an element I wasn't quite sure was necessary to the plot. More to come on the blog.
nfrazzetta's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this story, and I lived the topic of Hurricane Katrina. The only thing that bothered me was the fantasy aspect if ghosts. I found them to be an unnecessary distraction from the story, and I would have preferred it if Lanesha had helped herself on her own, rather than being aided by a ghost. Overall, a rather adventurous story about what it takes to survive.
ksimonereads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
corncobwebs's review against another edition
Though her mother died during childbirth and she has no other blood relatives to speak of, Lanesha has a happy home life. She lives with Mama Ya-Ya, and while some people claim that she's a witch, Lanesha knows that she is just a kind, loving old woman. Lanesha gets teased at school because of her unusual green eyes, but all is well when she comes home to Mama Ya-Ya. Besides their love for each other, another common thread between these two females is their ability to "see." Lanesha can see ghosts (including her mother, who still rests on Mama Ya-Ya's bed), and Mama Ya-Ya can foretell future events. She sees the coming of Hurricane Katrina, and knows that it will be bad. Since Mama Ya-Ya is so old, it's up to Lanesha to be strong and get them through the disaster. She's only 12 years old - can she do it?
A lovely book. There was a nice buildup to the hurricane scene, although I was expecting that scene to pack more of a punch. Reading this book was a good reminder, though, that the hurricane wasn't the only disaster - the levees broke, and then there was devastating flooding, too. This is definitely a hard subject to broach, but Rhodes makes it accessible to young readers. I like how Lanesha's optimism is pretty much unwavering throughout the book, even at the end when she has just about lost everything. Her optimism is a ray of hope that makes a difficult story easier to swallow.
A lovely book. There was a nice buildup to the hurricane scene, although I was expecting that scene to pack more of a punch. Reading this book was a good reminder, though, that the hurricane wasn't the only disaster - the levees broke, and then there was devastating flooding, too. This is definitely a hard subject to broach, but Rhodes makes it accessible to young readers. I like how Lanesha's optimism is pretty much unwavering throughout the book, even at the end when she has just about lost everything. Her optimism is a ray of hope that makes a difficult story easier to swallow.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
5.0
I suppose it's crazy to put a hurricane Katrina story in historical fiction, but it was a profoundly devastating event, so... Anyway. This wee story of Lanesha and her Mama Ya-Ya and her neighborhood in the Ninth ward, and her ability to see spirits is enrapturing. Lanesha is so full of tough, compassionate, stubborn, life. She deals with what is handed to her, and her bright courage elevates everyone around her. Loved it.