If You Read This
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
From the author of the critically acclaimed novel When Life Gives You Mangos comes a captivating journey of love, loss, and letters. Named a best book of the year by Waterstones!
When Brie was younger, her mama used to surprise her with treasure hunts around their island town. After she died three years ago, these became Brie’s favorite memories.
Now, on her twelfth birthday, her mama has another surprise: a series of letters leading Brie on one last treasure hunt.
The first letter guides Brie to a special place.
The next urges her to unlock a secret.
And the last letter will change life as she knows it.
In this poignant coming-of-age story of new memories, surprises, and moments of healing, Kereen Getten beautifully captures the edge of adolescence, when everything is thrilling, amazing, and terrifying in a way it will never be again.
★ "This delightful coming-of-age story details a transformative experience, pairing vivid characters with an evocative setting and bringing readers on an unforgettable journey. Dazzling." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this lively Jamaica-set adventure, Getten (When Life Gives You Mangos) sensitively depicts one family's struggles with grief and healing. Before her mother's death from cancer three years back, Brie used to celebrate every birthday with a customary breakfast—which she chose from a list of items that included plantains, ackee and saltfish, and porridge—and island-traipsing treasure hunts assembled by her mother. Her grandmother continued the breakfast tradition, and the excursions stopped, but on her 12th birthday, Brie's father gives her a box of letters written by her mother before her death. The first note urges Brie and Papa, with whom she has a strained relationship, to visit Brim's island, where Brie's maternal grandfather lived. But Brie's hopes of mending their relationship wither when Papa chooses to work instead of accompanying her. Heartbroken but determined to honor her mother, Brie continues her adventure, yet she longs for the way things were when her mother was alive. In this tightly plotted love letter to Jamaica, Getten tenderly emphasizes treasuring loved ones while they're still around and carrying memories after they're gone. Ages 8–12.
