I very much enjoyed the first half of this book -- Gabrielle's life in Haiti and the start of the transition to Brooklyn. When the magic kicked in, it worked at first but seemed to quickly descend into a nonsensical kid-storytelling, where things happen because they happen and stuff doesn't really make sense. I can't explain it, exactly, it's like she just lost the plot and substituted magical things instead? Or like the end of the book isn't really finished the way the earlier parts are -- possible! I am reading an ARC. I think what I wanted was for this clever, endearing character to either come up with a clever solution within the bounds of fairy tale logic or really dial in to listening to her friends. Neither of those quite happened. Definitely worth a read.

Advanced Reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

In a story woven through with magical realism, ten-year-old Gabrielle's parents send her from their home in Haiti to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in New York, with instructions to be good - or else she'll be sent back. Gabrielle isn't sure she wants to go, but she knows her family's hopes are riding on her. However, her teenage cousin Kayla isn't welcoming, and the kids at school make fun of her accent and her English, so Gabrielle unwisely makes a deal with a witch called Lady Lydia. Naturally, Gabrielle's wishes have unintended consequences: in exchange for speaking perfect English and "being American," she loses her ability to speak and understand Haitian Creole and her family. Fortunately, Gabrielle has help: from her Mexican-American friend Carmen, from their school librarian, from a talking rat called Rocky, and from the "candy lady," a good witch called Madam Monday. Ultimately, Gabrielle finds her identity and her voice, and uses it to speak up and save herself and her family.

See also: The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste, Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu, Dawn Raid by Pauline Vaeluaga Smith

Quotes

"How do you know when you are American enough?" (Gabrielle to Kayla, 124)

"I want to be around people who like me. People I don't have to pretend for." (Carmen to Gabrielle, 147)

"If I can be American, I will have no trouble, no problems at all." (Gabrielle to Carmen, 147)

"These beautiful tomatoes are both a vegetable and a fruit at the same time. They don't worry about being one or the other. They great thing about this country is that we do not have to either. Be the tomato. Be Haitian. Be American." (Mr. Jung to Gabrielle, 182)

"Real friends help you celebrate who you are, not hide it." (237) ( )

Well, I never thought I would read “molesting the avocados” in a story, but here we all.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this. I almost read this all-in-one sitting. Normally, watching characters make mistake after mistake can get tiring, but I didn’t mind Gabrielle’s journey to self-acceptance. Gabrielle’s immigration experience is not easy and she feels othered in Brooklyn, New York. The weight of all of Haiti (though really, it’s just her fam back home) is on her shoulders to fit in and not cause any trouble. That’s a lot. I think many first- and second-generation and newly immigrated kids will find this story relatable. There is magical realism throughout this story, but the ending felt a little on the nose.

Ending spoiler:really liked the twist with Tiana. often bullies are insecure themselves

3.5
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