Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana. 313 p. Chronicle Books LLC., April 8, 2014. 9781452124568.
Publisher synopsis: Armani Curtis can think about only one thing: her tenth birthday. All her friends are coming to her party, her mama is making a big cake, and she has a good feeling about a certain wrapped box. Turning ten is a big deal to Armani. It means she's older, wiser, more responsible. But when Hurricane Katrina hits the Lower Nines of New Orleans, Armani realizes that being ten means being brave, watching loved ones die, and mustering all her strength to help her family weather the storm. A powerful story of courage and survival, Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere celebrates the miraculous power of hope and love in the face of the unthinkable.
First Line: I was on my tippy-toes, bouncing up and down on the first step of the bus, stuck behind my second cousin, Danisha, and her melon-sized butt.
Page 56: Everything was headed in the right direction when Mama made me birthday biscuits for breakfast, and Sealy woke up singin', "It's your birthday, it's your birthday!" over and over again. But, just 'cause of some annoying storm, everyone wanted to go half-stupid and cancel my party. I hated Hurricane Katrina. I didn't care where the idiot storm went. People can't just go around canceling other people's birthdays.
I can't recall how I heard about this one, but it's a debut and about Hurricane Katrina. There aren't that many children's books about it. I thought Ninth Ward was brilliant and recently read Zane and the Hurricane.
This book sounds really interesting. It would be hard, I think, to write from a child's perspective. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHere is my Beginning
I am sometimes really hesitant about books from childrens' pov because it makes picking a good writing style really hard. Do you use normal, grown-up vocabulary or do you try to use the way children speak? But from these two excerpts it seems like Lamana found a good middle ground! I hope you enjoy this read! Thanks for sharing :) I hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteMy Friday post
Juli @ Universe in Words
Birthday's are special and it was not good that she had her's canceled. I love that cover. My Post
ReplyDeleteSounds like the author really captured the child's viewpoint. I haven't seen many novels that feature Hurricane Katrina as their setting. This sounds like an interesting story.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to my Friday post: RESCUE MY HEART.
Sounds like a fun read. I like that it sounds like it's written from a real place.
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!
Cute beginning. Sounds fun.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS for sharing.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Book Beginnings