Ninth Ward by Jewell Rhodes

Rhodes, J. (2010). Ninth Ward. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 

Summary

12-year-old Lanesha is an avid student who dreams of becoming an engineer and building bridges for those who need them. Lanesha can also communicate with the dead, including the spirit of her mother who died after giving birth to Lanesha. Lanesha's caretaker, Mama Ya-Ya is a healer and can predict the future. When Mama Ya-Ya senses a large storm coming towards their city of New Orleans, both Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya must trust their gifts and close bond in order to survive Hurricane Katrina. 

Review

Wow! The dynamics of the characters, settings, magical elements, and foreboding disaster will capture even the most reluctant readers! Readers already know the terrible outcome of Hurricane Katrina but with the clever and honest writing, readers will truly believe this story of magic and heart. Readers who only saw the disastrous Hurricane Katrina on television will be able to live through this disaster in a suspenseful and haunting way. 

Genre

Fiction

Readers Age/Interest Level

9-13 years/ Tween

Similar Books

Moon over Manifest- Clare Vanderpool

One Crazy Summer Day- Rita Williams Garcia

I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005- Lauren Tarshis
Awards

2010 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award

Selected as one of the best books of 2010 by School Library Journal

2010 Parents Choice Foundation Gold Award

2010 Al Roker “Today Show” Book Club Selection

2011 Brown Bookshelf 28 Days Later selection

Readers Annotation

Lanesha can see spirits and Mama Ya-Ya can predict the future and together they must trust their special gifts and incredible bond to survive the nearing disaster of Hurricane Katrina.