Tell Us We're Home

by Marina Budhos

When everything goes wrong, you're a stranger in your own town, and you lose your best friends, how do you begin to belong?

Jaya, Maria, and Lola are just like the other eight-grade girls in wealthy Meadowbrook, New Jersey. They love sharing frappes with their best friends after school, complaining about the other kids, and looking forward to the spring dance. But there's one big difference: These three girls are the daughters of maids and nannies. And they go to school with the very same kids whose families their mothers work for.

What the girls believed ws the strongest of friendships is shattered when Jaya's mother is accused of theft and loses her job. As tensions about immigrants begin to erupt across town, the ugly underbelly of this perfect suburb comes to the surface, and the girls' fragile world collapses. Suddenly each girl is on her own to find her place in a town that barely notices she exists. In this heartbreaking and eye-opening story, Jaya, Maria, and Lola must find their way back to one another, and ultimately, find their way home.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Contemporary, Friendship, Teen, Middle Grade

298 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2010

About the author

Marina Budhos is an author of award-winning fiction and nonfiction. Her most recent novel is We Are All We Have, about Rania, a teenage asylum seeker, whose life is suddenly shattered and she goes on the road, in search of sanctuary, and family truths. Previously she published The Long Ride, Watched, which received an Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature YA Honor and a The Walter Award Honor. Her other novels include Tell Us We're Home, a 2017 Essex County YA Pick and Ask Me No Questions, recipient of a James Cook Teen Book Award, The Professor of Light, House of Waiting, and a nonfiction book, Remix: Conversations with Immigrant Teenagers. With her husband Marc Aronson, she co-authored Eyes of the World: Robert Capa & Gerda Taro & The Invention of Modern Photojournalism and Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom & Science, a 2010 Los Angeles Times Book Award Finalist. Budhos has been a Fulbright Scholar to India, received there Fellowships from the New Jersey Council on the Arts and is a professor emerita at William Paterson University.

Reviews

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Diana Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You smashed your heart on its hardness, and you knew, to survive, you’d break some hearts too."

I really enjoyed this story. Being a minority isn't easy in America and these girls are dealing with the shame of going to school with kids whose houses their mothers clean, standing up for themselves, falling in and out of love, and dealing with racism and stereotypes. It's a beautiful story, even though the pace is a little slow.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what I disliked abt this one. Just didn't care for any of the characters. Couldn't make any connections.

[Almira · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story from another point of view ---- 3 8th grade friends, Jaya, Maria, and Lola, who just happen to live in the wealthy neighborhood of Meadowbrook, NJ, not because their families are wealthy, but because their moms work for 3 "wealthy" families, as maids and nannies. They see both sides of the spectrum of the have's and the have-not's.
When Jaya's mother is accused of theft, and loses her job, the three face the fact that their world may be falling apart with no one to help them prove Jaya's mother innocent of the accusation.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it's necessary to read books that are a bit difficult. Whether they're difficult because of the subject matter, or perhaps the prose, but as a reader, you have to challenge yourself. Tell Us We're Home falls into the subject matter category. Most Americans have our own immigrant stories to tell. My family has been here for at least two generations (and in some cases, several more than that) so it's easy to forget those that have arrived more recently. I won't get too political here, but there are certain people in our country that have forgotten their immigrant heritage and aren't so kind to newer immigrants, and that's a big part of the plot in this book. Jaya, Maria and Lola arrived in America as children from very different parts of the globe, and are now in eighth grade. They stand out in their wealthy neighborhood, and bond over the fact that their mothers all work as maids and nannies.

I've mentioned previously that I enjoy reading books about young teenagers, because the dynamics of puberty and how it affects us in our relationships with our parents and friends fascinate me. Each of the girls are going through a different crisis throughout the book. Lola must deal with her abrasive behavior and the trouble it gets her into, Jaya copes with the theft accusations placed upon her mother, and Maria feels different from her friends and her family when she becomes attracted to a wealthy white boy.

When their friendship fractures, each girl goes on their own path, and it's then that they each slowly start to appreciate how essential their friendship is.Their friendship held them together, and alone they falter. Tell Us We're Home is a great tale of friendship and overcoming hardship. Reading this book was a rewarding experience, and I would recommend to anyone.

[Christie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tell Us We’re Home is the story of three teenage girls who are the daughters of immigrants. Over the course of the novel the story alternates point of view, and each girl has the chance to tell her story.

Jaya, Lola, and Maria all felt awkward and alone attending school with the children their parents work for. When they meet and discover they all have this in common an amazing friendship is formed. They make plans to attend the spring dance. When Jaya’s mother is accused of stealing the girls are no longer able to fly under the radar as racial tension grows.

This is a touching story that focuses on the struggles immigrants face. Each girl had their own set of obstacles to overcome, as well as the shared burden of feeling like they will never fit in. The author did an amazing job of giving each of the characters, with their differing cultural background and personalities, a unique voice. The plot moved at a steady pace. This is more of a character driven read. Jaya, Lola, and Maria are all very likable characters who make you want to keep reading with the hope life will begin to look up for them.

Tell Us We’re Home is a great book for tweens, teens, and adults alike. It is a very clean read, but the subject of discrimination is a heavy topic. I like that the author tackles this subject without making it overly scary because we all know it could be. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to even the older elementary school crowd, but I’d suggest being ready and willing to discuss the events that occur in Tell Us We’re Home with younger tweens and teens who may not fully grasp what can happen in our world.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaya, Maria, and Lola may live in a wealthy town, and they may go to an excellent high school, but it's not because their parents are doctors or lawyers. It's because they are the daughters of the maids and nannies of the rich doctors and lawyers of Meadowbrook, New Jersey, all of whom came to America for better opportunities for their children. But even though each girl knows they should be grateful for the opportunity, they are constantly reminded of how they don't fit in. Will their friendships with each other lead them to that feeling of home that they can't find?

I'm a big fan of Ask me no Questions, Marina Budhos' first novel, so I really hate to say it, but this one did disappoint me (again, I wish there was such a thing as a half star on Goodreads). This book is told from all three girls' points of view (sometimes POV can even shift in the same scene) and I think that kept me from getting to know them as characters as well as I wanted to. A lot of the details revealed about the lives of the children of immigrants were really just tapping at the surface (maybe that would have been different if one character had been the lead). Overall, I think that this book would be too familiar for me to recommend to teens who share some of the same experiences as the characters in this book, and too muddled for me to recommend to someone who hasn't shared those experiences. But it is still an important book, and I hope it inspires more like it. Looking forward to more from Marina Budhos.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Su · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had previously read Marina Budhos's other Young Adult novel, Ask Me No Questions and had really enjoyed it. So naturally, when I saw Tell Us We're Home at my local Hastings (and it was on sale!), I bought it. I was a little skeptical reading the first chapter or two and then I set it down to deal with college finals and binge watch tv instead. I was afraid Tell Us We're Home was going to disappoint after reading Ask Me No Questions. But, when I finally sat down to finish the book, I loved it.

The story of three young girls, immigrants from various countries and cultures, trying to find their niche in a rich and glaringly White-American suburb echoes with the true struggle of belonging that many immigrants wrestle with. Being a dual-citizen and having bounced around for years myself, the authenticity of the novel really touched me. Especially in the narrative describing Jaya and Maria's points of view - not only are they foreign-born, but also ethnic minorities making them clear targets for the town's suspicion.

But it wasn't only their stories as immigrants, rather the more commonplace concerns of the girls - like how they looked, what others thought of them, grades, boys,etc. - were handled deftly and in such a truthful manner that while it definitely "revealed" the intricate ways in which the systems set forth in this country prevent anyone deemed "Other" from every actually sharing in the same bounty as others, it didn't read like a damnation of White America either. This was a carefully balanced and magnificently written novel. On that note, however, I wished for all the times that Jaya or Maria's race was noted - particularly by Lola - not one of the three ever mentioned that Lola, while Lola an immigrant herself, would always still be closer to the achieving the privilege denied them simply because she is still White. Other than that one detail, this was such a great book and I'm glad that I read it.

[Alex Templeton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book was a really good one: exploring the life experiences of three middle school girls, all children of immigrants who work for affluent families in their town. One mother is accused of stealing, and the girls' friendship unravels. The book had some lovely and heart-wrenching moments, but all in all I found myself bothered by the tone. There was so much bitterness against the affluent characters; all the girls, especially, were depicted as hair-highlighted, Uggs-wearing, and vapid. Perhaps this bothered me because I recognized some of myself in this bitterness, a part of myself that I now don't like. When I was in middle and high school, I was a solidly middle class student going to school with very upper class peers, and it was easy for me to generalize about them. However, as an adult reflecting on the people I knew and the students I am now meeting while substituting in an affluent private school, I realize that these stereotypes just don't cut it. Some kids fit the bill, but many don't. Maybe the book is written from the point of view of a middle schooler who sees everything in stereotypical ways, but I almost read it as the author's own bitterness against particular kids who had hurt kids she knew and cared about (the last part is a total guess). There was one character who was depicted as angry, and perhaps most of the bitter language appeared in her sections; I went back and tried to check, but found it too time-consuming. All in all, though, I feel like this book could be used to build empathy for those who are less fortunate and, through circumstance rather than inherent weakness, end up serving the more fortunate. I also felt like the depiction of the ways that the girls' growing up and into their identities broke them apart for a little bit was realistic and well done.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
Tell Us We're Home is the story of three teenage girls who are the daughters of immigrants. Over the course of the novel, the story alternates point of view, and each girl has the chance to tell her story.

Jaya, Lola, and Maria all felt awkward and alone attending school with the children their parents work for. When they meet and discover they all have this in common an amazing friendship is formed. They make plans to attend the spring dance. When Jaya's mother is accused of stealing some valuable earrings and a necklace from one of her employers, she is fired and the racial tension in the town starts to grow. Each girl is forced to face their own set of obstacles to overcome as well as the shared burden of feeling that they will never fit in.

My Comments.

This is a story that focuses on the struggles immigrants face without being preachy or overly dramatic or scary. Each of the characters has a well-defined cultural background and personality. The plot moves at a steady pace, although for me, it moved too slowly. I was waiting for more stuff to happen, especially when the earrings appeared to be stolen, but this book is more of a character driven read. It was hard for me to believe that three girls of such different ethnic backgrounds could become friends. Usually people stick together with others of their same nationality or race. I did not read the book or see the movie The Help but I imagine it was somewhat similar. This book might appeal to girls facing issues of not fitting in because of their race or nationality. It’s a very clean read – no sex, violence or bad words. Our library rates this book as “junior high” level, and I would agree with that.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[H · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review originally posted on my old YA Materials blog.

She hated self-pity. She hated people who gave up, slumped against life. Just like her father, wrapped in his shawl of surrender. Everything was fate, he said. What about second chances? she wanted to shout. Isn't this why we came here? You haven't even tried!

The use of multiple points of view to weave together a storyline that is coherent and richly detailed. The very different lives of Jaya, Maria, and Lola are done in a manner that allows readers to understand the glimpses that they catch as well as realize that there are cultural differences that need to be experienced in order to fully appreciate them, such as when Maria interacts with her love interest. With three narrators, it allows readers of all types to find someone that they relate to the most, whether it is the fiery Lola who is not afraid to pick a fight for something she believes in, quiet and faithful Maria, or strong-willed Jaya.

The use of flashbacks to show how the three girls first met could have been written in a less confusing manner, as there was nothing used to denote a change in time and space, nor were there great differences in the characters that would show a younger. The dialog within the story was entertaining but the use of language could have been increased instead of brief Spanish phrases.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three 8th grade girls, friends brought together by circumstance, camaraderie, and familiarity, are the outsiders in the well-to-do town of Meadowbrook, New Jersey. Jaya from Port-of-Spain, Maria from Mexico, and Lola from Slovakia are living the immigrant experience in a town that is not always respectful of civil rights amongst newcomers. They are steadfast in their loyalty to each other, though, mostly because they can relate to, and have empathy for, their fears and tribulations.

When Jaya's mother is accused of stealing from her employer, Mrs. Harmon, the girls have different opinions on how to handle the situation and it causes a rift between them. Lola is fierce, opinionated, Maria sympathetic but timid, and Jaya is confused, but outraged. The tension between immigrants and the community fuel the rift between the privileged and the down-trodden. They all struggle, even the parents, in their own way to make a path for themselves and find a way to peacefully co-exist in a town full of self-righteous neighbors. All is not what it seems, though, on the surface, and the girls quickly learn who is to be trusted and who is all talk.

Tell Us We're Home is eye-opening, heart-breaking, and realistic. A current immigration story for every American, as the struggles of the newcomers' plight is not as easy as one assumes it is on the surface.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

8 May 2010 TELL US WE'RE HOME by Marina Budhos, Atheneum, May 2010, 297p., ISBN: 978-1-4169-0352-9

"Who's gonna build your wall boys?
Who's gonna mow your lawn?
Who's gonna cook your Mexican food
When your Mexican maid is gone?

Who's gonna wax the floors tonight
Down at the local mall?
Who's gonna wash your baby's face?
Who's gonna build your wall?"
-- Tom Russell

"And even deeper, she wanted to know Mrs. Harmon's secret: How do you feel like you belong? Do you have to live in a place for hundreds of years, your pale skin and wispy hair the same as those who came before? Do you need to know that the ground is sure beneath you?"

TELL US WE'RE HOME by Marina Budhos is a devastating powerful story that quietly sliced me up and left me bleeding.

I've experienced the discomfort of feeling like I don't belong. I don't know why certain kids seem to develop an inclination toward exclusion and seem determined to make sure others know that they don't belong. It's certainly not a universal thing: Other kids just as surely develop an inclination toward inclusion.

I feel like some kids, even if they owned a forest, would still have a cow over any other kid picking up a fallen leaf. "That's from MY tree!" they'd scold. What causes a person to demand that walls are built to keep everyone else out; that not a cent of THEIR money go to anyone in need; that those who are different should stay away or go away?

I know from reading history that those perceived as outsiders tend to get used as scapegoats and excuses for bigger troubles, and are targeted and blamed even more so than usual in times of economic stress. Like today:

"But this year something was different in Meadowbrook, a feeling, an unease, an edge of chill eating away at the sweet, good spring days. Especially with so much going bad. FOR SALE signs were springing up like mushrooms after a rain. In the park all the nannies were talking about the layoffs and who'd gotten fired or had their hours cut back. The 'other side' of Haley Avenue was creeping up, salsa blaring from some shop where they sold international calling cards. Women in veils walking right past the old barber shop, now an African hair-braiding shop. "And then the sorest point: the day laborers, who waited every morning in the parking lot on Jessup Lane. Nobody liked how they looked -- caps pulled low over their eyes, hands pushed into their spattered dirty jeans, crushed Styrofoam cups and cigarette butts left on the asphalt..."

TELL US WE'RE HOME is a contemporary middle school/younger-end YA novel that wildly succeeds on so many levels. It's a great tale of friendship between three eighth grade girls -- Jaya, Maria, and Lola. These three girls are members of immigrant families in which they each have parents who clean for and care for the kids of others in an upscale suburban New Jersey community. It is a story that incorporates details of the current economic crisis. It is a story of the American Dream in the Twenty-first century. It is a story about status and entitlement. It is a story that -- given the total absence of language and promiscuity -- could be taught in any middle school. (If there is even a kiss in the book, it's a parent's kiss good night.)

TELL US WE'RE HOME reveals the stresses under which this trio of girlfriends lives as each girl's immigrant family struggles to survive economically in Meadowbrook. The tension is heightened as the girls and their families repeatedly face painful situations in which there is a sense of exclusion, whether they be the result of the girls' own unmet desires to be like everybody else or instances resulting from the sense of entitlement that other characters seem to possess as they let the immigrants know that they don't really belong in this town or don't have an equal right to enjoy its assets.

"Her cheek stung, hot. He swung again, only this time she managed to wriggle away, just as his knuckles hit Sheetrock, plaster crumbling. Renaldo paused, a confused sorrow in his eyes. "At that moment she hated Renaldo. Not because he'd hurt her. Because maybe he was right. This country was full of hard stuff and hard people. A place where maids could lose their jobs over stupid earrings. Where high school boys beat up Mexicans. Where you didn't have good friends. And the angels were no more than hollow plaster."

Having a long memory of how it felt to sometimes have my attire mocked (while trying to fit in with the middle grade version of Sixties fashion), I can sympathize with the girls' discomfort over having to show up wearing hand-me-downs from classmates that have been passed on from employer parent to employee parent.

"Who may enter it?
"A true public space is open to all people -- whether they live locally or are strangers from afar..."
-- from WATCH THIS SPACE: DESIGNING, DEFENDING AND SHARING PUBLIC SPACES by Hadley Dyer and Marc Ngui, ill., Kids Can Press, 2010.

So much of what really tore me up about this story had to do with that sense of entitlement that some of the story's characters -- both teens and adults -- seem to possess so many decades after the deaths of Emmett and Medgar and Martin. I thought that part of the Civil Rights Movement had to do with everyone being able to slurp from the same drinking fountain and play on the same park lawn (and for the first kid in line to get to slurp first). But an ugly and pivotal scene that plays out in the park in TELL US WE'RE HOME is just all too plausible given the exclusionary sentiments one regularly encounters in the news these days.

"Ah, but ain't that America for you and me"
-- John Mellencamp

In the end, it all comes back around to a wise old lady, Abigail Harmon, who knows and demonstrates that when it comes to having and sharing a sense of belonging, opening one's heart and tearing down walls is where it's at.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of three teenage girls (Jaya, Maria, and Lola) who are immigrants living in a WASP community. They form a friendship based on their mutual outsider status. They also share the burden of going to school with the same kids for whom their mothers provide daycare and housecleaning services. When Jaya's mother is accused of theft, it affects everyone in their community. The girls must each decide where they belong, and who their friends are.

The book did a nice job of showing each girl's ethnicity and cultural background. Each familial situation was unique and well set up early in the novel. The emotional development of the girls was believable.

A lot of the people in my 722 class seemed to like this one, but I just couldn't get into it. I was bored after chapter one. Also, I found it hard to follow the narrative at times. The book begins with a chapter for each girl, but as the story moves forward there was often more than one girl narrating in each chapter, and the POV switch was a little confusing, even in the omniscient third-person.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lola, Jaya, and Maria became friends almost instantly when they learn that they are all daughters of maids and come from immigrant families. Each girl struggles with who she is and what she stands for consistantly through the book. Lola believes she is an outspoken revolutionary, however she fails her huge history project, on which she thought she knew everything. Maria's cousin and his friends are harrassed by the high school lacrosse team, beacause the lacrosse team wants the field to practice. Maria likes spending her time with a white high school student, Tash so she can help him with Spanish, but when he lets her down by missing the protest of the lacrosse team, she questions what she meant to him. Jaya faces the biggest dilemma of them all when her mother is accused of stealing an expensive broch and earings from the woman's house in which she worked. The girls all decide that they are going to prove Jaya's mother's innocence and get her job back. This book is suitable for students ages 12-16.

[Dan Thorson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of the rifts pulling apart these girls who are seemingly so alike stem from differences in coping with the challenges associated with being a marginalized teen. This certainly adds to the realism of Budhos' novel. The similarities of the girls as immigrants with mothers who share the same subservient occupation does not necessarily render each girl one in the same. Rather, each girl possesses a unique set of personality, ambition, and strengths. However, the similar experience of each girl does eventually triumph. Despite being so different as individuals, the collective identity as lower-class immigrants creates a perspective that only someone in the same circumstance can fully understand and appreciate. Thus, the protagonists of this novel turn to one another as a means of expressing and further appreciating the unique identity their marginalization creates. This book is most useful for 12-16 year old girls who may be minorities in their society.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jaya, Maria, and Lola are all immigrants to Medowbrook, NJ where their mothers all work as maids for various families and businesses. The girls have been friends for years and are always there to support each other. This bond starts to fall apart when Jaya's mother gets wrongly fired for theft, Maria starts teaching Spanish to a cute high schooler, and Lola makes poor life choices. While their friendship has hit a rough patch, the community is also starting to fizzure along race lines. The girls don't deal with well with what is going on around them, without each other, and then Jaya's mom tell her they're moving.

A nice story about the importance of friendship and the strength that can come from it. Alternating points of view, but all through third person narration, allow the reader in to the lives of each of the girls.

[SM · Rating 3 out of 5]

A realistic story that leads us through the lives of three young girls that are immigrants in the US. Each young girl's mother is working to help their family in a new land but must face challenges of discrimination and hard work. It doesn't present many male role models for the young girls.
Each young girl has issues within their family that they must struggle with and then the challenge and pressures of school presents more stress.
I liked the strong female characters in the story and appreciated that environmental situation of these families as they try to make a new life in the US.
The friendship of these young girls is a realistic representation of the ups and downs of tween friendship.

[Dina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three girls--a Mexican, a Russian, and one from Trinidad, all find themselves going to the same high school in a bedroom community which is primarily white. Many of their peers are the sons and daughters of their parents' employers, which makes for some awkward situations which get worse when tensions about the immigrants erupt in the community. All the girls feel a sense of dislocation and a lack of belonging which they overcome as they work at building and maintaining their friendship. The story is not all sweetness and light, but reflects the realities facing many immigrant families--and the difficulties of friendship among three very different girls.

[Potassium · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is sort of like The Help set in the present time except that it is about the daughters of "the help" in a town full of rich white people.
This is one of those young adult books that I wonder if I would have liked it better if I were a young adult reading it. As it is, it just seems too stereotypical and kind of boring to me. All of the white people could be classified as good or bad, smart or clueless. The girls really only had one side to their personalities too... Plus it frustrates me that the girls never branched out and tried make other friends with the "good" people in the town.

[aworldofpaperhearts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Skinny: Budhos' next book in the MG market reveals her full mastery of the pen, outshining her MG debut Ask Us No Questions by a landslide. Some other authors who take a more ambitious storytelling angle flounder at the unravelling of too many story threads. Budhos, on the other hand, flourishes with the added textures to her story. Filled with moments of kindness, love, heartbreak, and fear, it's message of friends, family, and home shine like a blaze against a backdrop of a world that doesn't want them. Link to Full Review

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle school can suck enough without having to hide the fact that your mom's a housekeeper. You're hoping that the girl in your math class doesn't realize that your sweater came from her family's yard sale. Your dad can't find a job and is more than depressed. Your mom's accused of stealing from her employer, and you're hoping your cousin can control his temper and stay out of jail. Your neighbors keep complaining that too many people live in your apartment, but you know it's really because you don't look like your blonde haired blue-eyed neighbors.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the concept behind this novel, but I felt like it fell short of its promise. Three girls who are all daughters of maids/nannies in a small but rich suburban NJ town form a friendship based on their common experiences. Some of the writing is a little loose, and I found myself having to reread paragraphs to understand exactly what was going on. Also, with one small exception most of the suburban kids are spoiled, entitled rich kids. It came across as an over-simplified view of most realities.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an excellent story with absolutely spot-on observations about racism and privilege and class in the suburbs. Unfortunately I felt the writing wasn't up to the standards of the story - using third person really distanced me from Lola, Jaya and Maria's experiences. This could have been a devastating read if we could have gotten just a little closer to the story, so it felt less like we were being told about all of these things that happened, and instead got to experience them along with the girls.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of three normal 8th grade girls, Jaya, Maria, and Lola. They live in a wealthy suburb of Meadowbrook, NJ and just like everyone else they are trying to find their spot in the social world. However, unlike everyone else Jaya, Maria, and Lola are not wealthy. They are the daughters of immigrant workers who serve the wealthy families of the other students. I enjoyed this book because it gave an honest view of the Jr. High social structure. A great story about friendship of three girls on the outside looking in.

[Marissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because I got it for a really good price, the cover is so pretty and the story sounded interesting.

To me, a lot of scenes in this young adult book gave me Lifetime Movie vibes. Now, I love Lifetime network movies but I did not enjoy reading this book. The relationship between the girls and the other characters at times felt a little fake or over the top.

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