Flowers in the Sky - Hardcover

Joseph, Lynn

3.72

376 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060297948 ISBN 13: 9780060297947

Publisher: HarperTeen, 2013

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Just about everyone from my country, Rep�blica Dominicana, dreams of moving to New York City, except for me. On the flight to New York, my first time on a plane, my first time away from Mami, I was finally free to cry. But nothing came out. I watched as the green mountains of my beloved island slipped away far below.

Fifteen-year-old Nina Perez is faced with a future she never expected. She must leave her Garden of Eden, her lush island home in Samana, Dominican Republic, when she's sent by her mother to live with her brother, Darrio, in New York, to seek out a better life. As Nina searches for some glimpse of familiarity amid the urban and jarring world of Washington Heights, she learns to uncover her own strength and independence. She finds a way to grow, just like the orchids that blossom on her fire escape. And as she is confronted by ugly secrets about her brother's business, she comes to understand the realities of life in this new place. But then she meets him—that tall, green-eyed boy—one that she can't erase from her thoughts, who just might help her learn to see beauty in spite of tragedy.

From the acclaimed author of the color of my words comes a powerful story of a girl who must make her way in a new world and find her place within it.

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About the Author:

Lynn Joseph was born in Trinidad and is the author of many picture books for children about her island home, including A Wave in Her Pocket, An Island Christmas, The Mermaid's Twin Sister, and Jump Up Time: A Trinidad Carnival Story. This is her second novel about the Dominican Republic, following her acclaimed book The Color of My Words, winner of the Am�ricas Award. She has two sons, Jared and Brandt, and resides in New York and Bermuda.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 8 Up-This story of family secrets, friendships, and a love of nature is a compelling read. Fifteen-year-old Nina's life in the Dominican Republic suits her just fine. Despite being poor, Nina has her garden, school, friends, and a mother with whom she is very close. But when Mami catches her flirting with an older boy, she is sent to live with her brother in New York City. Mami insists that going to New York will give her daughter a better life and pays for a false passport. Once in the city, Nina discovers that her brother is involved in something illegal and that he has lost interest in gardening, a passion that they once shared, even though he buys her orchids to raise on the fire escape. She realizes how hard he struggles to make enough money to send back to their mother. When she meets handsome Luis, her brother demands that she stop seeing him, but she disobeys. Nina is a strong heroine, and Joseph does an exceptional job of portraying flawed but sympathetic characters. The descriptions of life in the Dominican Republic and New York City provide interesting and realistic contrasts and show how immigrants keep much of their culture in a new environment as a matter of survival. This title fills a need for Latino literature, but it also tells a universal story with touches of mystery and romance.-Janet Hilbun, Texas Women's University, Denton, TXα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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