ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Foley, Jessie Ann

Breda's Island

256 pp. | HarperCollins/Quill Tree | July, 2022 | Trade ISBN 978-0-06-320772-1 $16.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-06-320775-2 $10.99
(2) 4-6 Breda didn't believe her single mother would really send her from Chicago to Ireland's Dingle Peninsula for the summer if she got caught stealing again, but her theft of a classmate's gym shorts earns Breda a visit to the grandfather she's never met. Granda is the epitome of the elderly taciturn farmer, and although he at first seems as unenthused as Breda is about the arrangement, he slowly warms up to her. Breda settles in, exploring the village and finding friends on a Gaelic football team, and she wonders if she might also meet the father who's never been part of her life. When a health crisis waylays Granda, Breda is able to both take charge and rely on the community she's developed, putting her newfound confidence to work and expanding her definition of family. She also develops a new appreciation for her mother, an undocumented immigrant who has spent years working for others and is finally able to start her own business. Foley does an excellent job of building the Irish setting--with the help of Granda's role as a traditional storyteller. Foley's forthright approach to puberty and periods, which are among Breda's experiences, is refreshing. This is a quiet book, with an emotionally charged conflict that often simmers beneath the surface of the page, made possible by the authentic and fully realized characters.
Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?