Synopses & Reviews
"Maria Testa uses spare verse to tell a poignant story about a child touched by war. . . . An excellent choice for classroom discussion." — BOOKLISTThe thirteen-year-old from Kosova thinks of herself as a typical American schoolgirl. But for her parents, moving to Maine was just a sad necessity, a way to escape from war and find medical care for a daughter scarred up to her chin. But then a hateful event changes everything — forcing residents old and new to reexamine what it means to be an American.
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A Bank Street College Best Childrens Book of the Year
Synopsis
We escaped, my mother my father and me. We ran away from home. We ran all the way to America. It has been ten years since her family fled the fires of ethnic hatred in Kosova, Yugoslavia -- long enough for the narrator to have learned to hide the scars of war and transform herself into a typical American schoolgirl. Then an ugly incident in a nearby town changes everything, stirring the passions of an entire community and forcing each member of this refugee family to consider what being an American truly means. Inspired by actual events in her home state of Maine, Maria Testa has crafted a nuanced, provocative, and very modern American drama.
About the Author
Maria Testa has written several books for young readers, including the critically acclaimed middle-grade novels ALMOST FOREVER and BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO. A lifelong New Englander, Maria Testa graduated from Brown University and Yale Law School, and now lives in Maine.