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thebrainlair's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure what I disliked abt this one. Just didn't care for any of the characters. Couldn't make any connections.
megatsunami's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book and with many telling moments of realness in the characters. The author resisted the temptation to make anyone Evil and instead showed how wrong can be done even with good intention or lack of malice. And a lovely integration of social justice from the perspective of young teens.
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I actually quite enjoyed this book. It was a fun experience, and I grew remarkably invested in the characters. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did, but I still had a hard time picking it up, and it wasn't as easy or quick of a read as I would have hoped. It's really intended for middle grade girls, and that is definitely the age group I would refer it to.
rjozinga's review against another edition
4.0
Maria, Lola, and Jaya are all immigrant daughters of cleaning ladies in Meadowbrook, New Jersey. They form a friendship due the fact that they are all "poor kids" living in an affluent community. They are all from different countries originally, and face different challenges, but their lives intersect and the stories are really weaved together well. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to girls, ages 11 and up.
dianafdez's review against another edition
3.0
The lives of Jaya, Maria, and Lola are united by their mothers. They clean other peoples houses and babysit. They all feel left out of the town that they live in by their lack of money, that keeps them from being like the rest of them. Things get worse when suddenly their world gets even worse by the things that happen around them.
Jaya has come from Trinidad with her mother. She works cleaning the house of an old woman and is accused of stealing. Things are worse when her mother keeps losing her jobs. Jaya wants to help her but knows that she can't, since she has no power over others and none would ever take her seriously.
Maria came from Mexico and had to attend special classes so that she could learn English and later they wanted to change her accent. She lives with her mom in the basement of the house of her uncle, where their neighbors don't want them there. Maria wants to live a better life and gets involved with others who seem like they want to help but who may have other interests.
Lola is the rebellious one. She believes in things very deeply and isn't afraid to say what's in her mind. She loves learning about the revolutions and passionately believes that these are the people that others should look up to. She gets in trouble easily because of this but comes to terms that she has to change the way she reacts to things.
I enjoyed this book because it showed the hard lives that some people live day by day. They all wanted to fit in a world that they weren't used while their mothers were trying to give them a better future. It's an enjoyable book that I think may open some eyes to things around us.
Jaya has come from Trinidad with her mother. She works cleaning the house of an old woman and is accused of stealing. Things are worse when her mother keeps losing her jobs. Jaya wants to help her but knows that she can't, since she has no power over others and none would ever take her seriously.
Maria came from Mexico and had to attend special classes so that she could learn English and later they wanted to change her accent. She lives with her mom in the basement of the house of her uncle, where their neighbors don't want them there. Maria wants to live a better life and gets involved with others who seem like they want to help but who may have other interests.
Lola is the rebellious one. She believes in things very deeply and isn't afraid to say what's in her mind. She loves learning about the revolutions and passionately believes that these are the people that others should look up to. She gets in trouble easily because of this but comes to terms that she has to change the way she reacts to things.
I enjoyed this book because it showed the hard lives that some people live day by day. They all wanted to fit in a world that they weren't used while their mothers were trying to give them a better future. It's an enjoyable book that I think may open some eyes to things around us.
erin_boyington's review against another edition
2.0
Three friends whose mothers are all housekeepers in their affluent town drift apart as each girl struggles separately to find a place in America where she can feel at home.
Each girl is an immigrant from a different country: Jaya is from Trinidad, Maria is from Mexico, and Lola is from Slovakia. They were originally drawn together by shared feelings of alienation from the wealthy Americans around them and the fact that their mothers are all maids.
After Jaya Lal's mother's employer suffers a massive heart attack, Mrs. Lal is suspected of stealing some valuable jewelry and fired. Jaya secretly wonders if the accusations might be true.
Maria meets a handsome blanco boy and offers to give him Spanish lessons as a way to get close. She secretly struggles with feelings of envy for the privileged lives of the Americans her mother works for.
Lola (my favorite of the three) is sharp-tongued and outspoken, and frustrated with her depressed father's unwillingness to find work. She resents her own outsider status at school, but everything she does to stand up for herself pushes people further away.
The story is heavily invested in character development and is told in a non-linear way, with plenty of flashbacks and descriptions. (At first, it was difficult to follow the main thread of the story and to know which character's POV I was following.) Each girl comes to a revelation about herself and her relationship to her new country, but other than that there is little resolution to their problems.
It's not the kind of book I typically gravitate toward, and for me it was just okay. Too slow-moving, and I found myself getting irritated with the girls for devaluing their mothers' hard work by being ashamed of them. It's the kind of book grownups want kids to love, but that doesn't offer a compelling story to hold their attention, and is deadly serious without any levity to liven things up. Definitely for older teens with literary tastes.
For my YA realistic fiction, I'll stick with John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) or Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) who both have a much-needed sense of humor when tackling difficult issues.
Each girl is an immigrant from a different country: Jaya is from Trinidad, Maria is from Mexico, and Lola is from Slovakia. They were originally drawn together by shared feelings of alienation from the wealthy Americans around them and the fact that their mothers are all maids.
After Jaya Lal's mother's employer suffers a massive heart attack, Mrs. Lal is suspected of stealing some valuable jewelry and fired. Jaya secretly wonders if the accusations might be true.
Maria meets a handsome blanco boy and offers to give him Spanish lessons as a way to get close. She secretly struggles with feelings of envy for the privileged lives of the Americans her mother works for.
Lola (my favorite of the three) is sharp-tongued and outspoken, and frustrated with her depressed father's unwillingness to find work. She resents her own outsider status at school, but everything she does to stand up for herself pushes people further away.
The story is heavily invested in character development and is told in a non-linear way, with plenty of flashbacks and descriptions. (At first, it was difficult to follow the main thread of the story and to know which character's POV I was following.) Each girl comes to a revelation about herself and her relationship to her new country, but other than that there is little resolution to their problems.
It's not the kind of book I typically gravitate toward, and for me it was just okay. Too slow-moving, and I found myself getting irritated with the girls for devaluing their mothers' hard work by being ashamed of them. It's the kind of book grownups want kids to love, but that doesn't offer a compelling story to hold their attention, and is deadly serious without any levity to liven things up. Definitely for older teens with literary tastes.
For my YA realistic fiction, I'll stick with John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) or Sherman Alexie (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian) who both have a much-needed sense of humor when tackling difficult issues.
burstnwithbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I actually quite enjoyed this book. It was a fun experience, and I grew remarkably invested in the characters. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did, but I still had a hard time picking it up, and it wasn't as easy or quick of a read as I would have hoped. It's really intended for middle grade girls, and that is definitely the age group I would refer it to.
thisgrrlreads's review against another edition
3.0
Love the cover! Loved the girls but I wished their voices felt more distinct. I kept getting them confused. Definitely addresses some important issues for us suburbanites.
arisbookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
Jaya is from Trinidad, Maria is from Mexico and Lola is from Slovakia. I liked that each girl's cultural background was different, and yet their experiences were similar. I've read many books about Mexican immigrants and I have many Mexican friends so I was familiar with Mexican culture, but I knew very little about Slovakia or Trinidad. The reader spends the most time with Jaya and learning about her family and life in Trinidad (you would only want to visit Jaya's Trinidad, not live there. Contrary to the misconception that life in the Caribbean is easy and relaxing), I did want to know more about Slovakia. Lola was probably my least favorite character out of the three main characters. Lola is obsessed with history (which I can understand) but she is so frustratingly socially awkward. It was almost like she deliberately set herself up to be rejected by her classmates and sometimes she just lacked all common sense. Lola never thinks about the consequences of her actions. The way she treated Maria just because she had a crush was awful. Towards the end of the novel, I did grow to like her more. If it weren't for Lola's break down and wake up, I may not have liked her at all, but part of what makes Marina Budhos such a good author is how she doesn't make any character 100% perfect or lovable. At times I forgot that Jaya's mother is accused of stealing, that mystery plays a smaller part than the synopsis makes it sound. The story deals more with the attitudes held toward immigrants by their suburban neighbors along with the girls friendship.
The story is told in alternating points of view that really help the story, it would have been duller if it was told from only one perspective. However, the girls all seemed distant and I think this was due to the third person narrative. I think this book would have been stronger if the alternating points of view were in first person. Most of the book covers the friendship between the girls as well as their relationships with their mothers. The story isn't particularly light hearted but Maria makes some ironic observations that on the surface seem funny and then you realize that it's really not funny. "Gringos went all that way to dig dirt for free, while her cousin came here to do the same, for money." (pg. 25)
Tell Us We're Home is a potent story with a vital message about the American Dream and the struggles of immigrants. Unfortunately, after moving to America, life is only a little better for most immigrants. Yes we should all have to work hard, but some of us have to work a lot harder than others, due to circumstances of birth and that's not fair. Where you were born should not affect your chance of success, but it does. While I didn't connect emotionally with the characters, their situations and ordeals that they went through were described so well that it didn't matter. The author has a powerful way with words. This story will not allow you to look at "the help" in the same way. The story definitely has middle grade crossover appeal. In fact I would encourage people to give it to middle school aged children because that is the time when they should start becoming more aware.
Another favorite line: "He carried himself like a white boy, as if his whole body could part the air, make things happen." (pg. 24) This statement is thought by Maria and yet another one of her keen observations about white male privilege.
The story is told in alternating points of view that really help the story, it would have been duller if it was told from only one perspective. However, the girls all seemed distant and I think this was due to the third person narrative. I think this book would have been stronger if the alternating points of view were in first person. Most of the book covers the friendship between the girls as well as their relationships with their mothers. The story isn't particularly light hearted but Maria makes some ironic observations that on the surface seem funny and then you realize that it's really not funny. "Gringos went all that way to dig dirt for free, while her cousin came here to do the same, for money." (pg. 25)
Tell Us We're Home is a potent story with a vital message about the American Dream and the struggles of immigrants. Unfortunately, after moving to America, life is only a little better for most immigrants. Yes we should all have to work hard, but some of us have to work a lot harder than others, due to circumstances of birth and that's not fair. Where you were born should not affect your chance of success, but it does. While I didn't connect emotionally with the characters, their situations and ordeals that they went through were described so well that it didn't matter. The author has a powerful way with words. This story will not allow you to look at "the help" in the same way. The story definitely has middle grade crossover appeal. In fact I would encourage people to give it to middle school aged children because that is the time when they should start becoming more aware.
Another favorite line: "He carried himself like a white boy, as if his whole body could part the air, make things happen." (pg. 24) This statement is thought by Maria and yet another one of her keen observations about white male privilege.
lake's review
2.0
This book was off very much. It was a decent read, but it was not tasty, and I found myself rather disappointed. I had heard of the book somewhere else and had seen it with a better cover and summary, which intrigued me. It was a big disappointment.
The characters are unlikable, bratty, and ungrateful, especially Lola and Maria. Basic overused plot pieces I've read before: old lady ends up in hospital, distant relative comes to check out her stuff and he doesn't know a thing about her. A parent has died from sickness. People are unwelcome, disputes occur, girl meets boy, mean discriminating girl, etc. The beginning and middle of the book was rather drab and slowly paced. Towards the end the book is better paced, but still unsatisfying. I did like the different personalities of the many characters involved in this book, major and minor, but Lola was a bit overdramatic and anticlimactic. I liked her relationship, or lack thereof, with Anthony. At the end of the book there was no kissing, which was different form the usual cliches of young adult literature.
I say young adult because even if this was categorized under "child" in my nearest library, there are several moments at which there is violence, abuse, cursing (the b---- word), etc. All in all, this book was too emotional for me or anyone else. I've read unpublished works that are better. Forgive me if I sound too snooty, but this was just...too much. It was boring and the attempts to make it actually entertaining were unsuccessful.
The characters are unlikable, bratty, and ungrateful, especially Lola and Maria. Basic overused plot pieces I've read before: old lady ends up in hospital, distant relative comes to check out her stuff and he doesn't know a thing about her. A parent has died from sickness. People are unwelcome, disputes occur, girl meets boy, mean discriminating girl, etc. The beginning and middle of the book was rather drab and slowly paced. Towards the end the book is better paced, but still unsatisfying. I did like the different personalities of the many characters involved in this book, major and minor, but Lola was a bit overdramatic and anticlimactic. I liked her relationship, or lack thereof, with Anthony. At the end of the book there was no kissing, which was different form the usual cliches of young adult literature.
I say young adult because even if this was categorized under "child" in my nearest library, there are several moments at which there is violence, abuse, cursing (the b---- word), etc. All in all, this book was too emotional for me or anyone else. I've read unpublished works that are better. Forgive me if I sound too snooty, but this was just...too much. It was boring and the attempts to make it actually entertaining were unsuccessful.