Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio
Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio

Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio

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Ages: 8–12 years

A girl discovers a connection between her home in the Philippines and her new home in the U.S. through a special garden in this middle grade novel that celebrates nourishment and growth.

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.

Format: Paperback

Mae Respicio is an award-winning author of books for young readers, including The House That Lou Built, which received the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Honor Award and was named an NPR Best Book. Inspired by her Filipino American childhood, Mae's stories celebrate all the ways that kids find their place in the world. Her latest, Isabel in Bloom, was praised by The New York Times as a “sweet and heartfelt novel [that] explores how bumpy beginnings can offer chances for new growth.” She’s also written over a dozen nonfiction books for kids. Mae lives in California with her husband, sons, one rascally dog, and two sweet pet rats.

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