My Haiti, My Homeland

This book presents an interesting side of Haiti and its contributions to the Americas. Paul, a young boy who came from Haiti with his mother to live in Miami, gains pride in his homeland when his teacher gives him an assignment to research and report on interesting things in his country’s history.

Island Counting 1 2 3

Take a trip to the Caribbean, where one little island offers many exotic items to count! Here the three hilltop houses are painted in tropical hues, the five market ladies wear shady hats, the nine limbo dancers sway on a sunny beach, and the ten wildly dressed children celebrate carnival time.

Caribbean Alphabet

Presents an alphabet of images from the Caribbean, such as hibiscus, mangoes, and reggae. Illustrations and vocabulary encourage a sense of place ant there is plenty to look at on each scenic page. The selections combine known and perhaps unfamiliar words with a glossary specific to the Caribbean.

Gregory Cool

When he goes to visit his grandparents and his cousin on the island of Tobago, Gregory misses home at first, but as he gets to know both the island ways and his relatives, Gregory begins to enjoy himself.

In Darkness

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, fifteen-year-old Shorty, a poor gang member from the slums of Site Soleil, is trapped in the rubble of a ruined hospital, and as he grows weaker he has visions and memories of his life of violence, his lost twin sister, and of Toussaint L’Ouverture, who liberated Haiti from French rule in the 1804.

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 4, Issue 3

In the Shade of the Nispero Tree

When her mother wants her to be part of the high society world in their native Puerto Rico, Teresa attends a private school but loses her best friend. All Teresa and her best friend and classmate Ana think about is winning the contest for the Junior Queen and Princess of their town in Ponce, Puerto Rico. But Tere’s mother has different ideas for her only daughter. She wants her to be part of La Sociedad, “high society,” and go to a fancy private school. At first Tere doesn’t want to leave her school friends to follow her mother’s dream. She knows her parents can’t afford the luxuries the rich girls take for granted. But when Tere gets into trouble and has a fight with Ana, she quickly changes her mind. Now she finds herself caught between two worlds.

The Other Half of Life

A heartbreaking novel based on the true story of a World War II voyage.In May of 1939, the SS St. Francis sets sail from Germany, carrying German Jews and other refugees away from Hitler’s regime. The passengers believe they are bound for freedom in Cuba and eventually the United States, but not all of them are celebrating. Fifteen-year-old Thomas is anxious about his parents and didn’t want to leave Germany: his father, a Jew, has been imprisoned and his mother, a Christian, is left behind, alone. Fourteen-year old Priska has her family with her, and she’s determined to enjoy the voyage, looking forward to their new lives. Based on the true story of the MS St. Louis, this historical young adult novel imagines two travelers and the lives they may have lived until events, and immigration laws, conspired to change their fates.