September 12, 2023 by Random House Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this novel in verse, Laura Rodgríguez Colón is staying with her aunt, Titi Silva, who is a doctor. Laura's mother and father ran a food truck, but struggled for years with addiction, and were often in no state to take care of their daughter. They are now in rehab, and Janet, the social worker, tries to ease Laura's transition to her aunt's. It's a struggle, not only because her aunt's life is very orderly and has a lot of rules that seem silly, but also because Laura feels that everything is her fault because she called 911 when her parents were unresponsive, and set all of the wheels in motion. Laura thinks that her parents will be back with her in a week, so doesn't understand why she has to start at Riveview Elementary School. She doesn't try to make friends, but Benson is overly friendly. We later find out that he has trouble connecting to classmates because he is frequently ill with sickle cell anemia, and often in the hospital. Things are not going too badly; there's even a kindly librarian, Mrs. Elsa, who sees that Laura is struggling with reading and gives her graphic novels, which she enjoys. Laura also finds an abandoned dog, Sparrow, she brings home, and Titi Silvia lets her keep it. When Laura's parents are not allowed to call her, because it is thought that Laura will distract them from their progress, she hatches the idea that she will train Sparrow to be a therapy dog so that she can get in to see them. She even tries to take Sparrow to the hospital to see Benson, which doesn't end well! After this, however, Titi Silvia sees how important the training is to Laura and helps her to get Sparrow certified. Things are still difficult with her parents, but there is a Court Appointed Special Advocate assigned to Laura who helps her contact them. When they don't show up for a call, Laura is devastated, especially when it turns out they have checked themselves out of rehab. When Laura's mother shows up at school, Laura at first blames herself for not going along with her mother's ruse, and realizes that she might be with her aunt for some time.
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
In this novel in verse, Laura Rodgríguez Colón is staying with her aunt, Titi Silva, who is a doctor. Laura's mother and father ran a food truck, but struggled for years with addiction, and were often in no state to take care of their daughter. They are now in rehab, and Janet, the social worker, tries to ease Laura's transition to her aunt's. It's a struggle, not only because her aunt's life is very orderly and has a lot of rules that seem silly, but also because Laura feels that everything is her fault because she called 911 when her parents were unresponsive, and set all of the wheels in motion. Laura thinks that her parents will be back with her in a week, so doesn't understand why she has to start at Riveview Elementary School. She doesn't try to make friends, but Benson is overly friendly. We later find out that he has trouble connecting to classmates because he is frequently ill with sickle cell anemia, and often in the hospital. Things are not going too badly; there's even a kindly librarian, Mrs. Elsa, who sees that Laura is struggling with reading and gives her graphic novels, which she enjoys. Laura also finds an abandoned dog, Sparrow, she brings home, and Titi Silvia lets her keep it. When Laura's parents are not allowed to call her, because it is thought that Laura will distract them from their progress, she hatches the idea that she will train Sparrow to be a therapy dog so that she can get in to see them. She even tries to take Sparrow to the hospital to see Benson, which doesn't end well! After this, however, Titi Silvia sees how important the training is to Laura and helps her to get Sparrow certified. Things are still difficult with her parents, but there is a Court Appointed Special Advocate assigned to Laura who helps her contact them. When they don't show up for a call, Laura is devastated, especially when it turns out they have checked themselves out of rehab. When Laura's mother shows up at school, Laura at first blames herself for not going along with her mother's ruse, and realizes that she might be with her aunt for some time.
Strengths: Combining foster care with dogs can be very appealing, like in Galante's Strays Like Us and Bauer's Raising Lumie. There are not as many books involving kinship care, although we are certainly seeing more and more students being raised by family members who are not their parents. Certainly, many of these children are with relatives because of addiction issues, so this was a good inclusion. Arango has first hand knowledge of the foster care system, and she's right that books can help students understand what some of their classmates are going through. The addition of dog training gives an added layer of interest.
Weaknesses: There's a lot of poetic bird imagery that doesn't help the story move forward. Birds are one of those odd things, like pirates or carnivals, that my students don't seem to like at all. I don't understand it; I'm just reporting it! It's not so ovewhelming that it would cause a reader not to pick up the book; even the imagery on the cover is fairly subdued. Since dogs are popular, I think they will outweigh the birds.
What I really think: It's always good to see a child in an alternative family situation have an additional interest, but there are several titles where that is animal based, like Bailey's Snow Foal and Lewis' Scarlet Ibis. Titles like Farr's Pavi Sharma's Guide to Going Home or O'Shaughnessy's Lasagna Means I Love You cover other topics. Since this is one of the few titles involving foster care that are written in verse, that does set it apart.
Weaknesses: There's a lot of poetic bird imagery that doesn't help the story move forward. Birds are one of those odd things, like pirates or carnivals, that my students don't seem to like at all. I don't understand it; I'm just reporting it! It's not so ovewhelming that it would cause a reader not to pick up the book; even the imagery on the cover is fairly subdued. Since dogs are popular, I think they will outweigh the birds.
What I really think: It's always good to see a child in an alternative family situation have an additional interest, but there are several titles where that is animal based, like Bailey's Snow Foal and Lewis' Scarlet Ibis. Titles like Farr's Pavi Sharma's Guide to Going Home or O'Shaughnessy's Lasagna Means I Love You cover other topics. Since this is one of the few titles involving foster care that are written in verse, that does set it apart.
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