Synopses & Reviews
Jaya, Maria, and Lola are just like the other eighth-grade girls in the wealthy suburb of Meadowbrook, New Jersey. They want to go to the spring dance, they love spending time with their best friends after school, sharing frappand#233;s and complaining about the other kids. But thereand#8217;s one big difference: all three are daughters of maids and nannies. And they go to school with the very same kids whose families their mothers work for. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;That difference grows even biggerand#8212;and more painfuland#8212;when Jayaand#8217;s mother is accused of theft and Jayaand#8217;s small, fragile world collapses. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;When tensions about immigrants start to erupt, fracturing this perfect, serene suburb, all three girls are tested, as outsidersand#8212;and as friends. Each of them must learn to find a place for themselves in a town that barely notices they exist. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Marina Budhos gives us a heartbreaking and eye-opening story of friendship, belonging, and finding the way home.
Review
*"These fully realized heroines are full of heart, and their passionate struggles against systemic injustice only make them more inspiring. Keenly necessary." --Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW
Review
"The characters and setting have depth. . . . Budhos offers no easy answers here, just the hope that the characters, and society in general, will find the right direction." -- Booklist
Review
"Tell Us We’re Home reveals the thoughts, the aspirations, and ultimately the humanity of three young women whose immigrant and class status have made them outsiders but no longer invisible." --Readergirlz.blogspot.com
Review
"A substantive, timely read about the current state of immigrants in the US." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
"Moms and grandmothers, if you read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, you will appreciate that this book is along the same lines for contemporary adolescent girls… The girls' struggles and their mothers' challenges present jarring situations about perspective and compassion. We recommend this book, especially if you participate in a mother-daughter book club or any book-discussion group." --The Winston Salem Journal
Review
“Budhos tells [Jaya, Lola, and Maria's] story with a warmth that is ultimately sweet and rewarding…[
Tell Us W'e're Home] is elevated by writing that is intelligent and earnestly passionate.”
--The New York Times Book Review
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“A thoroughly enjoyable and insightful read that treats the immigrant characters as fully developed rather than stereotypes.” -VOYA
About the Author
andlt;bandgt;Marina Budhosandlt;/bandgt; is the author of such books as andlt;iandgt;Ask Me No Questionsandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Tell Us We're Homeandlt;/iandgt;, andandnbsp;andlt;iandgt;Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers.andlt;/iandgt; She has received an EMMA (Exceptional Merit Media Award) and a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers' Award for women writers. Ms. Budhos has been a Fulbright Scholar in India, has given talks throughout the country and abroad, and has taught at several universities and colleges. She is currently an associate professor of English at William Paterson University. She lives with her husband and fellow Atheneum author, Marc Aronson, and their two sons in Maplewood, New Jersey.andnbsp;You can visit her online at marinabudhos.com.