Everlasting Nora

Gr 3-6--Nora's life changed forever when she lost her father and home in a fire. Nora and her mother now live in her father's mausoleum at the Manila North Cemetery in the Philippines. Nora spends her days dreaming about when she can go back to school as she sells daisy chains to funeral visitors. Nora and her mother also serve as labanderas, or washerwomen, to various people in the nearby community. But they continue to lose jobs as Nora's mother's gambling addiction grows. Nora's situation often feels hopeless, and after her mother's disappearance, she takes matters into her own hands. The girl feels there is no one she can trust after being conned and deserted by extended family in the past, but along the way discovers she has a greater support system than she expected in her fellow cemetery squatters, especially Jojo and his grandmother who help and support her even when things get dangerous. Cruz offers an important and engaging tale. Filipino terms are interspersed throughout, and unfamiliar readers can rely on context clues to keep the natural flow of the story. There is also a glossary at the back. At its heart, this is a story about friendship and family--the one we're born into and the one we make. VERDICT This moving title should find a place in all libraries looking for authentic and powerful middle grade stories.--Kristyn Dorfman, The Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn

Nora would be in the sixth grade if she hadn't had to leave school a year before, after a fire destroyed her home and killed her father. Now living in her father's mausoleum, in North Cemetery, the largest graveyard in Manila, Nora makes and sells daisy garlands to passersby and helps her mother do others' laundry to provide food and necessities. After her mother disappears one night, Nora finds herself utterly alone, unwilling to call upon family or friends because of embarrassment and previous family circumstances. She soon realizes how dire her mother's gambling problem has become and confronts a loan shark's greedy lackey to find her. Unexpected help from neighbors and friends, like 13-year-old Jojo and his grandmother, Lola Mercy, portray a caring community within the shantytown and beyond. Debut author Cruz doesn't shy away from Nora's reality--her unreliable, grieving mother, the family's extreme poverty, the violence of the gambling world--but she also weaves a story of hope in darkness and creates a courageous, resilient heroine to root for. Cruz's rich descriptions of Filipino culture, most notably the food, intensify the sense of place and proffer bright spots in Nora's difficult situation. Ages 8-12. Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch Literary Services. (Oct.)

A Junior Library Guild Selection
A School Library Journal Day of Dialog Selection
A Book Expo America Buzz Pick for Middle Grade

"Heartwarming and fun, with a fresh twist and a diverse cast of characters!" —Melissa de la Cruz, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Descendants series and Alex & Eliza: A Love Story

"A story of friendship and unrelenting hope. Readers will escape into a world unlike any other, and will be better for it."—Erin Entrada Kelly, author of Hello, Universe and The Land of Forgotten Girls

"Marie Cruz's vivid writing transported me into a thrilling, memorable adventure!" —Alex Gino, author of George

"Cruz offers an important and engaging tale. At its heart, this is a story about friendship and family—the one we're born into and the one we make.... This moving title should find a place in all libraries looking for authentic and powerful middle grade stories." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Nora's story is a tribute to Filipino children, and readers of all backgrounds will find themselves immersed in the culture, learning bits of Tagalog and longing to savor the delicacies described throughout such as biko, champorado, and banana-que. Cruz's touching debut breathes life, beauty and everlasting hope into a place where danger lurks and the dead rest." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Cruz does a wonderful job showing readers a life that many will know nothing about. The description and imagery of life in the cemetery is rich, as the narrative exposes snapshots of various people including other children, families, and even missionaries....This impactful debut novel shows young readers the devastating reality of life for some children in the world, introduces them to a new language and culture, and demonstrates the power of family and neighbors, courage, hope, and, most of all, perseverance." —Booklist

"Debut author Cruz doesn't shy away from Nora's reality—her unreliable, grieving mother, the family's extreme poverty, the violence of the gambling world—but she also weaves a story of hope in darkness and creates a courageous, resilient heroine to root for. Cruz's rich descriptions of Filipino culture, most notably the food, intensify the sense of place and proffer bright spots in Nora's difficult situation." —Publishers Weekly