Common Sense Media Review
By Sally Engelfried
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gripping story of a girl's bravery during Hurricane Katrina.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Lanesha never knew her parents, but she loves living with Mama Ya-Ya, her wise and loving foster grandmother. Though they're poor, Lanesha is content. She loves school, especially math, and thinks about being an engineer someday. But just after Lanesha's 12th birthday, Mama Ya-Ya, whose visions always come true, sees a storm coming. She knows they'll survive the hurricane itself, but she senses something else -- something bad -- is coming. She's referring, of course, to the levees breaking and flooding much of the city, hitting the Ninth Ward especially hard. How Lanesha handles the scary situation and even manages to rescue a dog and a boy becomes a fascinating and harrowing adventure that paints a realistic picture of what it must have been like to live through Hurricane Katrina.
Is It Any Good?
Lanesha's simple, straightforward narration makes it easy for children to understand why she and other Ninth Ward residents had no choice but to stay put during the hurricane. Though sometimes she seems younger than her 12 years (as when she practices her cursive handwriting), Lanesha is an astute observer of humanity and has empathy even for the boys at school who make fun of her for being different. Although Lanesha's practicality and presence of mind is both believable and inspiring, the fact that she can also see ghosts muddies an otherwise gripping tale. Still, her strong, hopeful spirit will carry younger readers through the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina at an appropriate level of understanding, with lots of room for discussion for those who wish to know more about it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Hurricane Katrina and the effect it had on the city, particularly its poorer residents.
Could Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya could have done anything differently to protect themselves against the storm?
Did anything positive come from Lanesha's experience of Hurricane Katrina?
How do you think Lanesha's ghost visions helped her survive the storm? Could she have done it without them?
Have you read other stories about Hurricane Katrina? How does this one compare?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Contemporary Fiction
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : August 16, 2010
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 224
- Award : Coretta Scott King Medal and Honors
- Last updated : July 13, 2017
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