A review by bibliobrandie
The Name She Gave Me by Betty Culley

5.0

Betty Culley is killing it! She continues to capture the essence of rural Maine in her middle grade books (much like Elizabeth Strout does for me as an adult reader). I loved this novel in verse that focuses on two girls: Rynn and Sorella. Rynn lives on a garlic farm in rural Maine and is desperate to learn anything about her past. She was adopted at birth and has a few clues about her birth mother, including that her birth mother named her Scheherazade (note to self, would be awesome to pair with Everything Sad is Untrue!!). Sorella is living in foster care and how they come to know one another is slowly revealed through short, lyrical chapters. Rynn struggles with her adoptive mother, identity, confidence, and belonging but this story shows the power of friendship and determination. The characters are emotionally complex and never stray too far into mature content (yay for middle grade!). They are beautifully written and I was rooting for all of them from the beginning. I think this story will capture the hearts of many readers.
Culley explains her experience with foster care, adoption, and family discovery in the author's note (and makes me hope for a bio from her someday). Her own lived history really gave a voice to Rynn.