Serafina's Promise

Burg follows her debut, All the Broken Pieces, with this quieter yet compelling novel in verse about sensitive, ambitious 11-year-old Serafina, who lives in poverty in rural Haiti with her cheerful, compassionate father; hardworking, tightlipped mother; and wise grandmother, Gogo. Mourning the recent death of her baby brother while anxiously awaiting the birth of a new sibling, Serafina tries to please and help her family. Inspired by the female doctor who tended to her brother, she harbors a longing to attend school: "In the quiet, / my own heart beat/ its unspoken secret./ I promised myself/ that one day/ I would be a real doctor." Burg's understated free verse—liberally sprinkled with Haitian Creole phrases—gains power as Serafina's family is displaced by a flood, which is cruelly followed by the 2010 earthquake; the author skillfully weaves in information about the country's traumatic history in a way that makes it personally significant to Serafina. While Serafina's circumstances differ dramatically from those of most readers, her conflicting emotions about family dynamics and friendship, and her struggle to assert her aspirations, will resonate with many. Ages 10-14. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House. (Oct.)

Gr 4-6—Serafina is just 11, but she fetches water from a stream every day and helps her family add to the coin jar by bundling the herbs her mother and grandmother sell. She has witnessed the death of her infant brother, wishing and wondering if she could have done more to save him. Told in verse, this first-person account of a young girl's life in Haiti is filled with sadness and the harsh realities of poverty, yet the poetic narrative sings of hope and promise. Inspired by Antoinette Solaine, the doctor who attends to her dying brother, Serafina vows to find a way to go to school and one day help others. But who would bring the water and help Manman with the chores? And the few coins in the jar do not come close to the cost of a school uniform and shoes. The story unfolds as the family, already victims of political unrest, now faces natural disasters and separation. Serafina, always the healer, rises above obstacles and hardship, keeping her dreams and her promises close at hand. A powerful and uplifting story of family and sacrifice, perfect even for reluctant readers.—Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH