Isabel in Bloom

3.5 stars rounded up. The immigrant childhood experience is really relatable, but the novel in verse aspect didn't really work for me. It felt too choppy and I wanted so much more out of the descriptions and the FMC's feelings. I liked some verses in a couple of the poems. From "Be Yourself (But Don't......more

Isabel In Bloom is a well-crafted novel in verse that vividly portrays Isabel's thoughts and emotions as she leaves the Philippines and moves to San Francisco to live with her mother. Her mother moved to the US several years prior to work as a nanny so she could support their family back in the Phil......more

What a warm and wonderful NIV for middle grade readers! Yes, the premise of moving to a new place and finding that you can be happy there has been a theme of many books over the years, but this one adds some historical context plus such a variety of poetry in addition to the positive message that it......more

I really want to give my kids more windows than mirrors, so I like the idea of this book. Overall though, I probably won’t bother to try to get a copy in my kids’ hands. The “in bloom” metaphor is cliché, as is the community activism (community garden and senior center). And this is yet another nove......more

if only I'm good at writing poems, I'll create one to describe how much I love this book. a novel-in-verse, Isabel in Bloom is Mae Respicio's newest release following a young Filipino girl who braved and traveled from PH to US to be with her OFW mother. this may be a quick read but it encapsulated a l......more