Cover Image

What Momma left me

by Watson, Renée.

Format: Print Book 2010
Availability: Available at 5 Libraries 5 of 5 copies

Available (5)
Location Collection Call #
CLP - Allegheny Children's Fiction Collection j FICTION Watson
Location  CLP - Allegheny
 
Collection  Children's Fiction Collection
 
Call Number  j FICTION Watson
 
 
CLP - Carrick Children's Fiction Collection j FICTION Watson
Location  CLP - Carrick
 
Collection  Children's Fiction Collection
 
Call Number  j FICTION Watson
 
 
CLP - Squirrel Hill Children's Fiction Collection j FICTION Watson
Location  CLP - Squirrel Hill
 
Collection  Children's Fiction Collection
 
Call Number  j FICTION Watson
 
 
Clairton Public Library Junior Fiction J W
Location  Clairton Public Library
 
Collection  Junior Fiction
 
Call Number  J W
 
 
Penn Hills Library Juvenile Fiction CHILDREN WAT
Location  Penn Hills Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Fiction
 
Call Number  CHILDREN WAT
 
 

Summary

Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner Renée Watson's heart-tugging debut celebrates one girl's gift for finding joy in dark places.

Serenity knows she is good at keeping secrets, and she's got a whole lifetime's worth of them. Her mother is dead, her father is gone, and starting life over at her grandparents' house is strange. Luckily, certain things seem to hold promise: a new friend, a new church, a new school. But when her brother starts making poor choices, and her grandparents believe in a faith that Serenity isn't sure she understands, it is the power of love that will keep her sure of just who she is.

Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "When their father flees after their mother's death, 13-year-old Serenity and her younger brother, Danny, go to live with their loving grandparents, who support the children as they make their way in their new school, neighborhood, and church. In her journal, Serenity reflects on her hopes and concerns as she deals with a strong pull toward a boy who's headed down the wrong path, wonders how to help a friend with an abusive father, worries about her brother's choices, and senses her own moral compass wavering at times. Details of her mother's death emerge slowly as the novel progresses. Each chapter begins with a poem written in response to a poetry assignment, a quote from a poet such as Maya Angelou, or a passage from the Bible. Packed with events, details, and revelations, this first-person novel creates a believable portrayal of Serenity, struggling through a difficult time but drawing strength from her wise, loving African American family and their broader community.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Watson's first novel (after the picture book A Place Where Hurricanes Happen) explores themes of abuse, faith, and identity in an urban setting through the voice, diary entries, and poems of 13-year-old Serenity Evans. Serenity and her younger brother, Danny, move in with their grandparents in Portland, Ore., after their mother dies and their drug dealer father skips town. "Momma is a song that I can't forget," Serenity thinks. "Her melody comes to mind and I realize that traces of her song are still here." She immediately connects with Maria, who attends her new school and church ("She knows that there are some types of sadness that can't be explained"), but Serenity is not immediately ready to open up about the loss of her mother, and Danny starts running with a dangerous crowd. Serenity's struggles and insights, as she wrestles with her parents' legacy and an uncertain future, are inspiring, authentic, and told in a straightforward yet poetic style. The first-person narration is consistent, and the mystery of the painful circumstances of her mother's death-as well as additional tragedies-propels the story. Ages 10-14. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects Grief -- Fiction.
Family problems -- Fiction.
Grandparents -- Fiction.
Christian life -- Fiction.
Orphans -- Fiction.
African Americans -- Fiction.
Publisher New York :Bloomsbury,2010
Edition 1st U.S. ed.
Language English
Description 224 pages ; 21 cm
ISBN 9781599904467
1599904462
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