Isabel in Bloom

A middle-school girl discovers a connection between her home in the Philippines and her new home in the U.S. through a special garden in "this sweet and heartfelt novel [that] explores how bumpy beginnings can offer chances for new growth" (The New York Times)

A National Council of Teachers of English Recommended Book

Twelve-year-old Isabel is the new kid in her San Francisco middle school. It's the first time in many years that she'll be living with her mother again. Mama's job in the US allowed Isabel and her grandparents to live more comfortably in the Philippines, but now Isabel doesn't really know her own mother anymore.

Making new friends in a new city, a new country, is hard, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school means Isabel will begin to find her way, and maybe she too, will begin to bloom.

In this beautifully rendered novel-in-verse, Mae Respicio explores how growth can take many forms, offering both the challenges and joy of new beginnings.

Author: Mae Respicio
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books
Published: 04/09/2024
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Library Binding
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.27h x 5.43w x 1.18d
ISBN: 9780593302729

Review Citation(s):
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2024 pg. 139
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2024 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Mae Respicio writes novels full of hope and heart. Her debut, The House That Lou Built, received the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Honor Award in Children's Literature and was an NPR Best Book of the Year. She's also the author of the acclaimed Any Day With You and How to Win a Slime War.