Customer Reviews

Ninth Ward

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a novel for younger readers, Jewel Parker Rhodes tells the story of thirteen-year-old Lanesha, a girl who lives in New Orleans' Ninth Ward pre-Katrina with a grandmotherly lady she calls Mama Ya-Ya. The relationship between elderly woman and child, while not of blood, is one bound in spirit and love. With her roots in the old voodoo ways, Mama Ya-Ya combines a nurturing presence with the wisdom of her years; in fact, it was Mama Ya-Ya who delivered Lanesha when the girl's mother died in childbirth. As well as Mama Ya-Ya, it isn't uncommon for Lanesha to see ghosts, among them her mother, and others who wander the streets of New Orleans, a city with a particularly rich cultural history. As Katrina approaches, Mama Ya-Ya senses something more than a storm, though her weary soul cannot see clearly what is ahead. As the old lady dreams, Lanesha takes over, preparing for the hurricane, boarding windows, preparing food.

There is an almost allegorical sense of the old giving way to the new in this poignant tale, albeit with an uncertain future. An avid student who dreams of building bridges, Lanesha's curiosity is insatiable, but it is her compassion and bravery that will inspire young readers, the spiritual ties between generations and the capacity to entertain the extraordinary. The author clearly loves this city and its wealth of history and stories, however it may have been damaged by Katrina and its shameful aftermath. And she writes with the same fluid grace and turn of phrase that has distinguished her adult novels. Lanesha's world may have changed with Katrina's devastation, but she is truly a child of Mama Ya-Ya's heart, buoyed by her appetite to taste the world and her appreciation of others, real or imagined. Luan Gaines/2010.

I actually like this book. I was NOT expecting to like it, at all. The first pages open with a little girl born with a caul, a magical midwife tells her she has second sight, and she sees ghosts.

Groan... Could it get any worse?

In fact, it gets better. MUCH better. I have no reservations about my children reading this book.

Yes, there is a bit of an altar situation with Catholic saints and voodoo gods, and quite a few ghosts. Our family doesn't do ghosts. But it's good fiction, and the religion stuff is no weirder than the religion in "A Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

GREAT pro-school message. Being smart is what helps Lanesha survive the hurricane and flood. GREAT math teacher. GREAT neighbors and adults, and a respectful way of treating others. GREAT vocabulary.

heritage
synopsis
tragedy
suspension
exasperated
intervals
unfathomable

A very good story about love, loss, survival and rebirth. The book's message about the flood is: It doesn't matter where the flood comes from. Sometimes, the flood just comes.

Parent notes: illegitimacy, abandonment by extended family, some abuse of animals, some bullying, one death by gunshot, ghosts, voodoo, no politics

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
I just completed Jewell Parker Rhodes' latest book--her first written for young
people. Its Title--Ninth Ward. Its Setting--New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
Its focus--Lanesha, a twelve year old born with a caul covering her head and
face, who is connected to the spiritual world and her Mama Ya Ya. Through a
child's eyes we watch a neighborhood in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans
experience the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, the surge of the Mississippi River as
the levees give way, the destruction of a rich vibrant community made up of
people who have so little, but share what they have with each other. This is a
story of love, courage and strength as the ancestors encourage two young
children to have faith in themselves if they want to survive. Jewell Parker
Rhodes says that she wanted to grow up enough to write her first book for young
people--she has more than made up for making us wait so long by penning this
magnificent story for youngsters and oldsters, one that I will share with many. A
MUST READ.

Jewell Parker Rhodes brings the events of Hurricane Katrina to childrens literature. Lanesha is twelve, growing up with Mama Ya-Ya after her mother dies in childbirth. While Mama Ya-Ya is not a blood relative, she loves and cares for Lanesha like her own child. The two of them make an interesting pair. Lanesha can see the spirits of the dead, and Mama Ya-Ya is a midwife, able to predict the future. When Mama Ya-Ya's predictions about Hurrican Katrina bring her great worry, Lanesha looks to her mother's spirit to reassure her. However, no reassurance can be given about Hurricane Katrina, as the storm picks up speed and force as it nears New Orleans. Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya weather the storm only to then be confronted with flooding, forcing them and their neighbor boy, Tashon (who has returned after losing his parents in the Superdome) to the roof as they wait for help.

Ninth Ward is beautifully written, recreating the devastating events of Hurricane Katrina. Rhodes has managed to bring this event to life for children - doing so by writing of the loss Lanesha experiences in a way young readers will understand and not be overwhelmed by.

While the cover doesn't do much for me - and I don't think most kids will find it appealing, either, I am hoping this is one that my students can look beyond the cover to enjoy the story inside

Everyone will agree Hurricane Katrina was a beast. Hearing or reading about the experience of an adult tugs on your sympathy side. But reading about the experience of a 12 year-old child will tug on your heartstrings and your tear ducts. In Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Lanesha tells of what her life was like before, during, and after Katrina. Even though this is a work of fiction, it is quite possible that someone in New Orleans lived it.

Lanesha lives with Mama Ya-Ya, the midwife that helped to bring her into the world. They have a deep connection to one another. They both have the gift to see ghosts. Mama Ya-Ya even knows things before they happen. Hurricane Katrina is an event she saw coming even before they classified it as a hurricane. Mama Ya-Ya is not a young woman, but she makes certain to instruct Lanesha on the things they will need to make it through the natural disaster. However, when Mama Ya-Ya's energy begins to drain, Lanesha has to think, plan, and prepare. She becomes the caregiver and decision maker.

Lanesha is a child wise beyond her years. Not many children would know what to do in the time of a crisis while keeping calm. That is where the story seems both realistic and unrealistic, causing me to think as a parent if I have prepared my children enough for any and everything. Mama Ya-Ya over the years had prepared Lanesha for whatever was placed in front of her.

Another part of Ninth Ward I found exciting was the setting. Ms. Rhodes made the location come to life as much as she did the actual human characters. I recommend this book to readers interested in Hurricane Katrina and those interested in ghosts.

The publisher provided a copy of the book for review purposes.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

The story of Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya grabbed me right away. Of course, we all know what happens when Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, but the author still gives me new glimpses of what it must have been like for families that stayed behind to fight the storm. Her descriptions of the days after the hurricane broke my heart as Lanesha suffered through the toughest parts.

I think this is a great Young Adult novel and is an excellent teaching tool of how to be strong when adversity strikes, how other cultures live and about what is really important in the end. Ghosts and seeing into the future were also a part of the story, and while I am not a believer in that, their part of the story was an interesting piece of Lanesha's life.

This book, Rhodes' first book for young people, is a masterpiece. Period. She understands New Orleans and the Ninth Ward culture, and writes about them with love and empathy for their lives while they wait for and experience Katrina. Any reader will finish the book with an honest perception of the threat and terror of hurricanes and floods, as well as a wish that the book would not end... Personally, I would like to have a follow-up book to "see" what happens to the two main characters.

in the year I was so excited when I found out Jewell Parker Rhodes had a middle grade novel coming out. If the name sounds familiar its because Rhodes is an award winning author of adult fiction.

12 yr old Lanesha was born with a caul on her face. Thanks to this, Lanesha can see ghost including her mother, who died giving birth to her. Lanesha lives with Mama Ya- Ya in New Orleans, Ninth Ward. Mama Ya Ya is 82 yrs old, she's seen a lot and helped bring alot of babies into the world.

Mama Ya Ya senses the hurricane before its announced on the news. Mama Ya Ya knows something else is wrong, but she can't put her finger on what. Lanesha must prepare as best she can.

Tashon, the quiet neighbor boy, finds his way to MaMa Ya Ya's house after the hurricane. Together Lanesha and Tashon must survive the broken levies. When the water won't stop rising they end up on the top of the roof. Rhodes paints such a clear picture, I could see everything.

"I start trembling and look around my neighborhood. The horizon is none like I'd seen before. Just the tips of houses. Tops or halves of trees. Lampposts hacked off by water. Rooftops -some flat, some anglar most empty. Far left I see a man and a woman sitting on a roof their feet in the water."

Lanesha's abililty to see ghosts, adds a magical element to this story.

"Now, ghosts in baggy pants, their underwear showing, wearing short sleeve T-shirts and body tattoos, are from my time. They're mostly boys killed in drive-bys or fights or robberies. Sometimes, I know them from school. Like Jermaine. One day I'm seeing him in the cafeteria eating macaroni, the next day, he's a ghost, dull eyed, high fiving me."

Lanesha's mother's ghost can't move on, until Lanesha is safe. Though, Ninth Ward is only 207 pages, its never feels rushed. Rhodes tells a beautiful well paced story.

Many bestselling adult authors have a difficult time creating authenic middle grade voices, that was not the case here. Lanesha is smart, independent, excels at math and I loved her voice.

This is the first middle grade novel about hurricane Katrina. The ones that come behind it, will have a lot to live up to. Like Williams- Garcia's One Crazy Summer, the characters and writing felt familar. This doesn't happen often when I read middle grade fiction, when it does its refreshing. Ninth Ward is one of my favorite middle grade novels of the year.

This is the type of book that female teachers and librarians love but doesn't appeal to many students. This book has great attention to detail. The main character describes everything she's thinking. The hurricane does not happen until 1/2 way through the story. As a school librarian, I believe it's going to be hard for young readers to read through 100 pages of character development and very low action to get to the part about the hurricane and flood. I will be interested to see what my students think of it - if I can even get them to check it out.

Although it is written from the point of view of a girl, my 11 year old son liked this book very much. Goes to show that good writing is not gender specific.