Drita, My Homegirl

by Jenny Lombard (Author)

Drita, My Homegirl
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

A poignant story about the difficulties of leaving everything behind and the friendships that help you get through it.

Fleeing war-torn Kosovo, ten-year-old Drita and her family move to America with the dream of living a typical American life. But with this hope comes the struggle to adapt and fit in. How can Drita find her place at school and in her new neighborhood when she doesn't speak any English? Meanwhile, Maxie and her group of fourth-grade friends are popular in their class, and make an effort to ignore Drita. So when their teacher puts Maxie and Drita together for a class project, things get off to a rocky start. But sometimes, when you least expect it, friendship can bloom and overcome even a vast cultural divide.

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Paperback
$7.99

School Library Journal

Starred Review
Touching....This first novel is imbued with the language and customs of Kosova as well as the efforts of a family attempting to regain balance. Read it aloud to groups and let the conversations begin.

Kirkus

Lombard does a fine job of portraying characters displaying growth through some serious circumstances while maintaining their childlike qualities.

Review quotes



Jenny Lombard
Jenny Lombard lives in New York City.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780142409053
Lexile Measure
630
Guided Reading Level
T
Publisher
Puffin Books
Publication date
June 20, 2008
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV039250 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emigration & Immigration
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Family
New York (State)
New York
New York (N.Y.)
Family life
Refugees
Schools
Friendship in children
Emigration and immigration
Albanian Americans
Virginia Readers Choice Award
Nominee 2012 - 2012

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