Half a world away

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Something

Summary

Twelve-year-old Jaden, an emotionally damaged adopted boy fascinated by electricity, feels a connection to a small, weak toddler with special needs in Kazakhstan, where Jaden's family is trying to adopt a "normal" baby.

Published Reviews

Booklist Review: "*Starred Review* Jaden is fascinated by electricity, which always relaxes him. And relaxation is important to the 12-year-old who was abandoned by his mother when he was 4 and adopted from Romania when he was 8. He has been told by doctors that he is a textbook case of a troubled, older adopted child: he has set fires, hoards food, steals, lies, sleeps on the floor instead of in a bed, and, worst of all, seems incapable of feeling love. And now his American parents are taking him along as they fly half a world away to Kazakhstan, where they plan to adopt a baby. How is Jaden to feel about this? And, once there, what will happen after he bonds not with the baby but with a special needs child at the adoption facility? Newbery medalist and National Book Award winner Kadohata has written a remarkable, insightful study of a troubled boy, the challenging circumstances in which he finds himself, and his painful journey to bonding and, perhaps, to love. Along the way, she has given readers a candid and often disturbing look at the adoption process in a remote country, while her memorable novel is further enriched by the depth of her characterizations; even minor characters come alive on the page. Thought provoking and emotionally engaging, this is wholly satisfying.--Cart, Michael Copyright 2010 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "Romanian-born Jaden knows fear and anger but has trouble feeling love and trust. He was abandoned by his biological mother at age four, then shuttled to several foster homes before being adopted by an American couple. Now 12, Jaden thinks his adoptive parents must not be "satisfied" with him because they want another child, and they expect Jaden to go with them to Kazakhstan to meet and bond with his new adoptive baby brother. In this candid novel about three individuals struggling to become a family, National Book Award-winner Kadohata (The Thing About Luck) offers a rare insider's view of a boy with attachment difficulties searching to find security and purpose. While visiting the orphanage in Kazakhstan, Jaden is drawn to a special-needs toddler, even as he has trouble feeling anything for the baby his parents plan to adopt. Jaden also forms an unexpected and eye-opening friendship with the family's outspoken hired driver. Without sugarcoating the complexities and mishaps that can accompany overseas adoption, Kadohata creates an inspiring story that celebrates hope and second chances. Ages 10-14. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Additional Information

Subjects	Adoption Fiction Intercountry adoption Fiction Emotional problems Fiction Abandoned children Fiction Love Fiction Adoption Juvenile fiction Intercountry adoption Juvenile fiction Emotional problems Juvenile fiction Abandoned children Juvenile fiction Romance fiction Families Juvenile fiction Juvenile Literature Juvenile Fiction Electronic books. Romance fiction.
Publisher	New York :Atheneum Books for Young Readers,2014 Atheneum Books for Young Readers2014
Edition	First edition.
Contributors	OverDrive, Inc.
Audience	Ages 10-14.
Language	English
System Details	Mode of access: World Wide Web. Format: Adobe EPUB eBook Format: Kindle Book Format: OverDrive Read Requires Adobe Digital Editions or Amazon Kindle
Description	1 online resource
ISBN	9781442412774 9781442412774
Other	Classic View