Drita, My Homegirl

Ok, pluses here (there are a lot): alternating viewpoint between Drita's Albanian refugee family and Maxie's New York African American family, who is about 3 years out from the loss of her mother in a car accident. Does a fabulous job on both viewpoints -- the shock and strangeness of a small New York apartment after the sudden exit from Kosova, the fear and despair that Drita's mom succumbs to, the difficulties of many people in a small space just trying to cope. And then Maxie -- who is having a lot of difficulty in her grief, acting out, getting in fights and mischief and seriously having a hard time with her dad's new girlfriend. Her new friendship (assigned to her by a caring teacher) with Drita ends up steadying her. I love that show more both families have a caring grandmother who lives with them and takes on a lot of the heavy emotional work that lets the families function. I love that the refugee family is white and Muslim and the welcoming American family is black -- and comes through when Drita's mom hits a crisis in a big way -- they are absolutely the heroes in this story, but it's not presented as a story about race, it's a school story about 4th graders. Also, I really like that Drita is talented at basketball.

Minuses -- I did find it a little slow to get into. It's 135 pages, but I feel like most of the action happens in the last 3rd of the book, so there's a little patience required to engage. show less

Starred Review. Grade 3-5–In alternating chapters, two fourth graders tell about the development of their unlikely friendship. Drita is a refugee from Kosova who, along with her family, is finally joining her father in New York City. In a cramped apartment and without connections or language skills, her mother sinks into a serious depression, while the girl struggles to find her place in school. Maxie, a precocious African-American child who lives with her supportive grandmother and her widowed father, struggles, too; shes in constant trouble in school for her comedic efforts since her mother died. When she sees a news report on Kosova, she decides to do a project on Albanian refugees, focusing on Drita. The girls find common ground, show more and when Maxies grandmother, a retired nurse, sweeps in to rescue Dritas mother, the families forge a bond as well. Maxies attempts to help Drita understand American ways are touching, and Dritas understanding of her friends loss is a testament to the emotional intelligence of children. Dritas story resonates with the bravery of an individual determined to become part of her new country while retaining the love of her homeland. Maxie has the cocky voice of a girl who is trying too hard to disguise her pain. More a tale of the power of love than of refugees, this first novel is imbued with the language and customs of Kosova as well as the efforts of a family attempting to regain balance. Read it aloud to groups and let the conversations begin. show less

What a treat. This goes far beyond the "typical" friendship stories aimed at 3rd through 5th graders. A refugee from Kosovo, Drita has just arrived in America with her family. She is excited about attending school, but her first day in Miss Salvato's fourth grade classroom proves challenging: even though she does not speak English, she can tell that one of the girls is making fun of her. Miss Salvato turns the tables on this class clown, though, when she suggests that Maxie's social studies project can be to learn about Kosovo and about Drita's journey to America. The chapters alternate between Drita's voice and Maxie's, and through the two perspectives, readers quickly appreciate the girls' differences and commonalities: both girls are show more struggling with difficult family situations. Their friendship develops slowly and believably, and readers will cheer for both girls as they and their families grow through the connections they make. While most children at this grade level probably are not familiar with the conflict that has torn the former Yugoslavian region for so long, Lombard weaves in current events in a way that middle graders will understand. The liberal use of Albanian phrases may be intimidating to some readers, and no glossary is included, although the meanings of most of the phrases can be inferred from the text. Students who do not let the unfamiliar phrases deter them, however, will be glad that they stayed with the story. show less

Drita and her family are newly arrived refugees to New York City from Kosovo. Drita is happy to be in America but despite her efforts isn't fully welcomed by the other kids at school. Maxie is a black girl in her class who wants to be a comedian someday although right now her irresponsible humor mostly gets her in trouble. Despite the language and cultural differences the two become unlikely friends when a teacher assigns Maxie to do her social studies project on Kosovo and interview Drita. Concerns at home occupy them as well. Drita's mother has sunk into a deep depression and Maxie, still grieving her late mother, is unwilling to accept her father's new female friend. An upbeat, readable story with genuine dialog.

Very believable story about friendship between two girls from different worlds: Albania and New York. The author's telling is very convincing. Her background as a school teacher who has taught students from many nations gathered together in the same classroom allows her to create authentic characters. One can really feel Drita's confusion at some of her first encounters with American school children and at her mother's emotional breakdown. One can also relate to Maxie's troubles as she tries to adjust to life without her mother and attempts to take on the challenge of finding a way to communicate with Drita.

I'm very divided on this book. The story and characters were wonderful - I truly enjoyed this unique look at immigration and it was refreshing for the person assisting the newcomer to be something other than "the great white hero".

The dialogue (internal and external) however, was... offensive. Especially coming from someone who isn't a native or immigrant to the culture. Internally, Drita spoke in overly perfected, choppy English (which makes no sense since her internal dialogue is/should be her native speech translated to English -therefore it should be natural and free-flowing). The opening line of the book is a good example of this: "For three days, before I am coming to this country, I can't eat."

Internally and externally, Maxie show more spoke in what could be perceived as a caricature of inner-city idiomatic ebonics (incorrect tenses, incorrect plurality (for instance, "I gots")). Her father corrects her for speaking "slang" at one point, but his language isn't much better (especially considering he's some hotshot at a bank). show less

This book tackles a whole bunch of subjects: grieving, refugeeism, immigration, bullying, friendship, and more. I am pleased to find that while the book reviewer side of me acknowledges this, the reader in me didn't pay any attention to anything except for the delightful and touching and heartwarming story.