From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9–Milly Kaufman is
Finding Miracles (Knopf, 2004) as she begins to bridge the distance between her Vermont home and the Latin American island from where she was adopted. Julia Alvarez's novel follows the typical New England 15-year-old and the challenges she faces when Pablo Bolivar and his refugee family move to their town from that same island. Things start to change when Pablo's mother comments that Milly's striking amber eyes resemble those of the people from the mountains on the Bolivar's home island. Milly's friends learn about her adoption, and she briefly pulls away from them as she tries to sort things out. The real breakthrough takes place when the Bolivar family invites Milly to accompany them to their mutual homeland where recent elections have ended a long period of harsh repression. On the island, a romance blooms between Milly and Pablo. Then her own family, including her wealthy, eccentric grandmother, arrives to help her as she makes the sojourn to the mountains and to a new sense of herself. Daphne Rubin-Vega honestly expresses Milly's earnest teen emotions, and she narrates fluidly in both English and the occasional Spanish interjections. Sound quality is good and the case is sturdy. This is a deeply moving, but also pleasantly humorous coming-of-age story with thoughtful infusions about human rights issues. An excellent recording for all middle school and public library collections, and a must for those that serve a Latino population.–
Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Adopted from a war-torn country, Millie struggles on many levels with her teenaged search for self. Her life in Vermont suddenly seems foreign when a new boy arrives from her native country. As the story unfolds, significant changes in her life culminate with a trip to her birth country. The meanings of friendship, family, romance, heritage, and the cruelty of war are all brought together as Millie finds her true home. Daphne Rubin-Vega's reading highlights the inflections and accents of a bilingual teenager and presents Millie's story in a straightforward style. However, Julia Alvarez's excellent writing is not fully successful in transcending to the spoken word. L.D.H. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine--
Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
