Lucky Broken Girl

February 6, 2017
Set in 1966, this strongly sketched novel, adult author Behar’s first for children, focuses on a 10-year-old Cuban immigrant whose injury forces a prolonged convalescence and rehabilitation. The story begins with Ruthie Mizrahi moving up from the “dumb class” (where she learned English) to the “regular fifth grade class” at her school in New York City. However, a car accident leaves Ruthie so severely injured that she spends almost a year sequestered in her room in a body cast (“My bed is my island; my bed is my prison; my bed is my home”). Readers will get a powerful sense of the historical setting through Ruthie’s narration, but the novel is perhaps defined even more by her family’s status as immigrants and by its memorable multicultural cast. Some dialogue can ring false (“I am a bit of a hippie. I believe in peace, love, and flower power,” explains the tutor sent to work with Ruthie), but Behar successfully juggles several engaging plot threads, and Ruthie’s complicated relationship with her mother, given the demands of her care, is especially compelling. Ages 10–up. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group.

Ruth Behar's semiautobiographical novel is set in New York City in 1966. Ruthie is a ten-year-old Cuban immigrant adjusting to life in the United States when she and her family are in a car accident that leaves her in a body cast for almost a year. In Ruthie, Behar creates a character who is a joy to learn about and to champion as her narrow worldview brings relationships and a sense of place to the forefront. Behar's narration of her own work lends the story an authentic feel, though she has a tendency towards overly exaggerated dialogue and uneven pacing. The focus on friendship, the immigrant experience, and coping with tragedy makes this a compelling story. E.A.B. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine