Cover Image

What momma left me

by Watson, Renée,

Format: Print Book 2019
Availability: Available at 2 Libraries 2 of 2 copies

Available (2)
Location Collection Call #
Baldwin Borough Library Young Adult YA WAT
Location  Baldwin Borough Library
 
Collection  Young Adult
 
Call Number  YA WAT
 
 
Northland Public Library Teen Fiction TEEN FIC WATSON
Location  Northland Public Library
 
Collection  Teen Fiction
 
Call Number  TEEN FIC WATSON
 
 

Summary

Rediscover Newbery Honor- and Coretta Scott King Author Award-winner Renée Watson's heart-rending debut, about one girl's journey to reconnect to joy.

Serenity 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 who makes her feel connected, and a boy who makes her feel seen. But when her brother starts making poor choices, her friend is keeping her own dangerous secret, and her grandparents put all of their trust in a faith that Serenity isn't sure she understands, it is the power of love that will repair her heart and keep her sure of just who she is.

Renée Watson's stunning writing shines in this powerful and ultimately uplifting novel.

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 Orphans -- Juvenile fiction.
African Americans -- Juvenile fiction.
Siblings -- Juvenile fiction.
Dysfunctional families -- Juvenile fiction.
Grief -- Juvenile fiction.
Grandparents -- Juvenile fiction.
Christian life -- Juvenile fiction.
Orphans -- Fiction.
African Americans -- Fiction.
Family problems -- Fiction.
Brothers and sisters -- Fiction.
Grief -- Fiction.
Grandparents -- Fiction.
Christian life -- Fiction.
Publisher New York :Bloomsbury,2019
Edition New edition.
Language English
Description 223 pages ; 22 cm
ISBN 9781681199498
1681199491
9781547601738
1547601736
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