Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Katerina’s Wish by Jeannie Mobley - ESSENTIAL

Mobley, Jeannie Katerina’s Wish, pg. 246 Simon and Shuster, 2012 Language: (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content-PG; Violence: PG;

The novel occurs around the turn of the century. People coming to America for a fresh start and the opportunity to own land. Katerina's family is no different. They have been in America for over a year and her father is still working in the dangerous coal mines. Money is tight and Katerina's hopes and dreams are bigger that what her family currently has. She read a folktale where a girl makes a wish with a carp. She encounters a similiar experience and is determined that it will come true. Her mother especially can't imagine life getting better and often smashes her daughter's hopes. Katerina is quite an entrepreneur and gets creative to supplement the families funds with no encouragement from her family. When tragedy strikes not only the town but her family she almost loses hope.

This author does such an amazing job of painting a picture of that time period of history. I understood better what families had to go through to make ends meet and the struggle that put on a family. I highly recommend this story to any young person. I will definitely put it in my library. It truly inspires anyone to want to overcome challenges that life dishes out and to never give up.

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL-Emilee Teacher Librarian

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