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A review by abigailbat
Serafina's Promise by Ann E. Burg
4.0
Serafina has a dream: to be a doctor like Dr. Antoinette Solaine, the clinic doctor who tried to save the life of her infant brother. To be a doctor, Serafina knows that she'll have to go to school... but there's no money for the books and uniform she'll need. Her family lives in a shack outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and Serafina's every moment is taken up with chores to help the family eke out a meager living. And then disaster strikes and Serafina's family is left picking up the pieces. But what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.
Ann E. Burg's sparse prose is hopeful as Serafina meets every new challenge with determination and optimism. I really regret the lack of an author's note giving a little background information about the flood and earthquake. Kids are going to need scaffolding with this book, especially since the verse format lends itself to a more visceral and sensory experience of the disasters, rather than spelling out what happened.
Readalikes:
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes because it's another story of a plucky young girl dealing with natural disasters hitting her hometown.
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff because it's a novel in verse about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams and get an education.
Ann E. Burg's sparse prose is hopeful as Serafina meets every new challenge with determination and optimism. I really regret the lack of an author's note giving a little background information about the flood and earthquake. Kids are going to need scaffolding with this book, especially since the verse format lends itself to a more visceral and sensory experience of the disasters, rather than spelling out what happened.
Readalikes:
Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes because it's another story of a plucky young girl dealing with natural disasters hitting her hometown.
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff because it's a novel in verse about a girl who's determined to follow her dreams and get an education.