Tell Us We're Home

Gr 6-9 It is fate when Jaya, Maria, and Lola meet and quickly become best friends. All three eighth graders are members of immigrant families who have settled in an upscale New Jersey community. The girls find it hard to fit in because their mothers work as nannies and housekeepers for their schoolmates' families. Then Jaya's mother is accused of stealing from one of her clients, and the girls wrestle with the growing divide between them and the community and among themselves. This book holds the potential for a twist on the stale high school friendship novel but not much new is offered in that regard. The author spends a lot of time describing the girls and their histories. Their backgrounds and their relationships are thoroughly explored, but the story just isn't very interesting, and the drama of a mother being accused of stealing falls short. These three girls are outcasts, like many teens, and the story may resonate with readers who often feel like outsiders looking in. The story might have some appeal to fans of character-driven dramas."Julianna M. Helt, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA" Copyright 2010 Media Source Inc.