Welcome to Litsy!

I enjoyed some parts of the book, but in the end, a so-so read.

What works for me: rich cultural diversity; family support; reading and drawing helps to overcome loneliness; hopeful.

What doesn‘t work for me: whiny main character; stiff dialogues; writing feels clunky and childish.

#MiddleGradeMarch #MiddleGradeMarchThroughTime

My first book of the month was one of my #MiddleGradeMarchThroughTime books. This was an excellent story showing all the spiderwebbing places in a young life pain and suffering can intersect, but also how easy it is to supplant suffering with joy. It was written well, and got me curious enough to do some research on Jewish exiles from Cuba, which was interesting.

I almost didn‘t like this book. As the title, “Lucky Broken Girl,” conveys, it is a book of opposites. The MC, Ruthie, a 10-year-old Cuban-Jewish immigrant, ends up in a body cast after a terrible car accident. What follows is A LOT of graphic, visceral toilet talk (which helps to convey her shame). However, there are also moments of true beauty: pure white snow, fluttering confetti, & the kindness of strangers.

Thursday night homework sesh. ✌🏻

This middle grade novel had me in tears several times. It is devastating, but also hopeful. When Ruthie‘s family is in a car accident, she is stuck in bed in a body cast. She feels lonesome and frustrated much of the time, but she learns much about friendship, family, and life from a wonderful cast of characters and her own introspection. She and her family are immigrants to New York from Cuba, and her life is full of people from around the world.

This is a fabulous read! I enjoyed the fresh approach to the multicultural historical genre. If you liked Sandra Cisneros‘ A House on Mango Street, you‘ll love Lucky Broken Girl.

A sweet story about hope and healing based on the author‘s childhood.

Ruthie and her parents, Cuban-Jewish immigrants, are involved in a serious accident, leaving Ruthie in a full-body cast for a year. While she lies in bed, terrified that she‘ll never walk again, friends and family do their best to keep her spirits up. I loved the diverse cast of characters and the sensory details of language and culture that weave through the narrative.

Just finished Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar. A beautiful written story.

My TBR list in #Libby is getting crazy. So many good books to read!! 😜

🔢=Litsy By The Numbers Challenge
📚=TBR
📖=ebook only
✊🏾=POC author
🏆=challenges (I would use it for award winners but I‘m not tracking them)

Sweet coming of age story about Ruthie - a Cuban Jewish fifth grader living in NYC during the 1960s. Solid middle-grade book that captures the immigrant experience and celebrates diversity. It should have a place next to modern classics such as Wonder and George in classrooms.

“If you happen to drop some of that on the floor, I won‘t tell the family that this was your breakfast.”

Made me remember of being the bilingual kid learning English in elementary school.

Chapter 1, paragraph 1, as a bilingual student I knew this feeling all too well. #Bilingual #notdumb

This was an uplifting story of a tragedy that deeply affected a young girl's life. Some of the pacing felt slow to me but perhaps parallels the slow recovery process the narrator (and the author) experiences.

Getting started on my 2018 personal book reading challenge--25 books before 2019--a little early. What's your challenge?

#nov📚📷 #🍀

I've recently added this title to my tbr list.

P.S. Anyone else having difficulties with the cropping tool for picture uploads? Not a fan.

We did a mini genre project at work over the past few months. My genre was multicultural books and due in June. I'll be sharing a few of the books here. Below is my annotation:

Ten-year-old Cuban-Jewish Ruthie Mizrahi has recently emigrated from Cuba to Queens, NY with her family. She's smart, but she doesn't feel so smart at her new school where she's held back because her English isn't good.

Reading with my 8 year old son, after a long day in the sun curled up in bed. This book is amazing. He wanted me to keep reading! ❤

#LitsyReadingChallenge Finally a Bingo!

A transformational story of a young Cuban refugee girl who is bedridden after a car accident. The story is loosely based on the author's own experiences. #WeNeedDiverseBooks

drawn in by the cover, confirmed by @BethFishReads recommendation, and deal sealed because the author will be ay my indie in a few weeks, this middle grade fictionalized autobiography does not disappoint.

Wow. Not the book I was expecting. Based on the author's own life, the novel is not so much an immigration story as the story of how a young girl heals after a terrible accident. Get out the tissues! I esp loved the way spiritual beliefs and different cultures are explored from young Ruthie's perspective. Even if you don't normally read MG, I recommend this book. Thanks to @penguinusa for the review copy

I'm on an immigrant story binge because pretty much everyone in the USA is an immigrant or within a few generations of an immigrant ancestor. And because it's especially important to remember these days. This is a semiautobiographical novel. @PenguinPublishing

Really enjoyed this semi-autobiographical story of a young Cuban girl in 1960s NYC. Ruthie's story reminds me a lot of the Judy Blume books I devoured as a kid. Hand this to tweens who love character-driven stories. Coming in April! #howiereads #ownvoices #weneeddiversebooks

Starting on this (over breakfast tacos) and was immediately charmed by Ruthie! Looking forward to following her journey.