Anxo Garcia

The blurb tells us that this novel is ‘inspiring’ and ‘heart-warming.’ I certainly agree with this as it is inspiring to see a girl who longs to see her father reunite with her grandfather after years of not talking to each other, and heart-warming to see this actually happen. The front cover can tell you a lot about this story. It shows a girl in the middle of a road in a big city. She seems to be staring up at something – could this be her admiring the city or a specific building? She also seems to be casting a large, branch-like shadow – could this be the many paths she could take, or the many questions she has about her family? And why is she standing in the middle of the road? Is she lost, or does she not really fit in in such a vast city? All Amara, the main character, could ever ask for is to meet her father’s family in New York, but her mother just won’t allow it. She thinks that New York City is too big for Amara, especially compared to Oregon, where they live. But with Amara’s birthday coming up, she thinks that her mother will allow her to go as a birthday present, and to add even more, Amara has recently been assigned a suitcase project where she must, ‘create a time capsule that explores her past, present, and future.’ She will need to, ‘decorate a suitcase with personal artefacts, poems and essays about where she is from and what her dreams are for the future.’ Amara thinks that this is the perfect excuse to be able to visit her father’s family – so that she can find as many ‘personal artefacts’ as she can. When her mother finally agrees, she goes to New York with her father but discovers something terrible; something that makes her wonder if she was the reason why her father hasn’t talked to her grandfather in so long. Will she be able to fix this? Will she be able to put the pieces of her family back together again? I would recommend this book for people who like something relaxing yet exciting with a simple but enjoyable plot that people can relate to. If you want to read something that isn’t too challenging and easy to understand and enjoy, this book is for you. I would say that anyone aged 8 or above can read this book without problem. This book has themes of happiness, sadness, anger, relationships, forgiveness and even fright. Each theme contains many ideas which are what make the book so ‘heart-warming’ and ‘inspirational.’ Every scene was written with so much detail that I could imagine it around me, and every character was clearly explained enough so that I could vividly see their appearance and actions in my mind. Therefore, I would definitely recommend this excellent book with a 5-star rating. I hope that my review was helpful and has encouraged you to read the book!