Reviews
Praise for All the Broken Pieces Jefferson Cup Award Winner IRA Notable Book for a Global Society *"[A] stirring debut novel . . . will make readers want to rush to the end and then return to the beginning again to make connections between past, present, friends and enemies." -- Booklist , starred review *"Using spare free verse, first-time novelist Burg beautifully evokes the emotions of a Vietnamese adoptee as he struggles to come to terms with his past." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review *"The verse form carries highly charged emotions and heavy content with elegiac simplicity." -- Kirkus , starred review, "Eleven-year-old Serafina has a dream: to go to school and become a doctor. Yet her life outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is filled with urgent chores and responsibilities. A natural healer, Serafina has already witnessed the loss of baby brother Pierre to disease and hunger, wishing she could have done more to save him. Now Manman is about to have another baby. How will her family ever do without Serafina's help or afford her school uniform? Burg uses gentle language and graceful imagery to create the characters that make up Serafina's loving family--Papa, Manman and Gogo, her wise grandmother. (Sadly, Granp was taken away long ago by the Tonton Macoutes.) Told in first-person verse appealing to both reluctant and passionate readers, the novel is woven with Haitian history, culture and Creole phrases. Readers will root for this likable heroine as she overcomes obstacles--poverty, family obligations, the catastrophic 2010 earthquake--in her effort to emulate her mentor, Antoinette Solaine, the physician who tried to save Pierre. The spirit of the text's celebration of the power of determination, family, friendship and love is ably captured in Sean Quall's delightful cover art. Lilting, lyrical and full of hope." - Kirkus starred review, Praise for Serafina's Promise "A lush narrative bouquet, filled with blooms of quiet verse, rhythmic Creole, and Haitian proverbs and sayings that capture life's poignancy and hardships." -- Booklist "Serafina, always the healer, rises above obstacles and hardship, keeping her dreams and her promises close at hand. A powerful and uplifting story of family and sacrifice, perfect even for reluctant readers" -- School Library Journal "The verse format is well suited to Serafina's thought patterns, as she moves in and out of present narration, snippets of memory, and sensory descriptions; it also makes the novel very accessible to younger readers who will easily follow the short lines." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Praise and Reviews for ALL THE BROKEN PIECES: Jefferson Cup award winner BOOKLIST Editors' Choice ALA Best Books for Young Adults IRA Notable Book for a Global Society *"[A] stirring debut novel . . . will make readers want to rush to the end and then return to the beginning again to make connections between past, present, friends and enemies."--BOOKLIST, starred review *"The verse form carries highly charged emotions and heavy content with elegiac simplicity."--KIRKUS, starred review *"Using spare free verse, first-time novelist Burg beautifully evokes the emotions of a Vietnamese adoptee as he struggles to come to terms with his past."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review "...the story is a lovely, moving one."--SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, ALA Popular Paperback for Young Adults Praise and Reviews for ALL THE BROKEN PIECES: Jefferson Cup award winner BOOKLIST Editors' Choice ALA Best Books for Young Adults IRA Notable Book for a Global Society *"[A] stirring debut novel . . . will make readers want to rush to the end and then return to the beginning again to make connections between past, present, friends and enemies."--BOOKLIST, starred review *"The verse form carries highly charged emotions and heavy content with elegiac simplicity."--KIRKUS, starred review *"Using spare free verse, first-time novelist Burg beautifully evokes the emotions of a Vietnamese adoptee as he struggles to come to terms with his past."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review "...the story is a lovely, moving one."--SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, Praise and Reviews for ALL THE BROKEN PIECES: Jefferson Cup award winner BOOKLIST Editors' Choice ALA Best Books for Young Adults IRA Notable Book for a Global Society ALA Popular Paperback for Young Adults *"[A] stirring debut novel . . . will make readers want to rush to the end and then return to the beginning again to make connections between past, present, friends and enemies."--BOOKLIST, starred review *"The verse form carries highly charged emotions and heavy content with elegiac simplicity."--KIRKUS, starred review *"Using spare free verse, first-time novelist Burg beautifully evokes the emotions of a Vietnamese adoptee as he struggles to come to terms with his past."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, starred review "...the story is a lovely, moving one."--SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, "Eleven-year-old Serafina has a dream: to go to school and become a doctor. Yet her life outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is filled with urgent chores and responsibilities. A natural healer, Serafina has already witnessed the loss of baby brother Pierre to disease and hunger, wishing she could have done more to save him. Now Manman is about to have another baby. How will her family ever do without Serafina's help or afford her school uniform? Burg uses gentle language and graceful imagery to create the characters that make up Serafina's loving family--Papa, Manman and Gogo, her wise grandmother. (Sadly, Granpè was taken away long ago by the Tonton Macoutes.) Told in first-person verse appealing to both reluctant and passionate readers, the novel is woven with Haitian history, culture and Creole phrases. Readers will root for this likable heroine as she overcomes obstacles--poverty, family obligations, the catastrophic 2010 earthquake--in her effort to emulate her mentor, Antoinette Solaine, the physician who tried to save Pierre. The spirit of the text's celebration of the power of determination, family, friendship and love is ably captured in Sean Quall's delightful cover art. Lilting, lyrical and full of hope." - Kirkus starred review, "Eleven-year-old Serafina has a dream: to go to school and become a doctor. Yet her life outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is filled with urgent chores and responsibilities. A natural healer, Serafina has already witnessed the loss of baby brother Pierre to disease and hunger, wishing she could have done more to save him. Now Manman is about to have another baby. How will her family ever do without Serafina's help or afford her school uniform? Burg uses gentle language and graceful imagery to create the characters that make up Serafina's loving family--Papa, Manman and Gogo, her wise grandmother. (Sadly, Granp was taken away long ago by the Tonton Macoutes.) Told in first-person verse appealing to both reluctant and passionate readers, the novel is woven with Haitian history, culture and Creole phrases. Readers will root for this likable heroine as she overcomes obstacles--poverty, family obligations, the catastrophic 2010 earthquake--in her effort to emulate her mentor, Antoinette Solaine, the physician who tried to save Pierre. The spirit of the text's celebration of the power of determination, family, friendship and love is ably captured in Sean Quall's delightful cover art. Lilting, lyrical and full of hope." - Kirkus starred review, Praise for All the Broken Pieces Jefferson Cup Award Winner IRA Notable Book for a Global Society *"[A] stirring debut novel . . . will make readers want to rush to the end and then return to the beginning again to make connections between past, present, friends and enemies." - Booklist , starred review *"Using spare free verse, first-time novelist Burg beautifully evokes the emotions of a Vietnamese adoptee as he struggles to come to terms with his past." - Publishers Weekly , starred review *"The verse form carries highly charged emotions and heavy content with elegiac simplicity." - Kirkus , starred review, "Eleven-year-old Serafina has a dream: to go to school and become a doctor. Yet her life outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is filled with urgent chores and responsibilities. A natural healer, Serafina has already witnessed the loss of baby brother Pierre to disease and hunger, wishing she could have done more to save him. Now Manman is about to have another baby. How will her family ever do without Serafina's help or afford her school uniform? Burg uses gentle language and graceful imagery to create the characters that make up Serafina's loving family-Papa, Manman and Gogo, her wise grandmother. (Sadly, Granpè was taken away long ago by the Tonton Macoutes.) Told in first-person verse appealing to both reluctant and passionate readers, the novel is woven with Haitian history, culture and Creole phrases. Readers will root for this likable heroine as she overcomes obstacles-poverty, family obligations, the catastrophic 2010 earthquake-in her effort to emulate her mentor, Antoinette Solaine, the physician who tried to save Pierre. The spirit of the text's celebration of the power of determination, family, friendship and love is ably captured in Sean Quall's delightful cover art. Lilting, lyrical and full of hope." - Kirkus starred review, "Eleven-year-old Serafina has a dream: to go to school and become a doctor. Yet her life outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is filled with urgent chores and responsibilities. A natural healer, Serafina has already witnessed the loss of baby brother Pierre to disease and hunger, wishing she could have done more to save him. Now Manman is about to have another baby. How will her family ever do without Serafina's help or afford her school uniform? Burg uses gentle language and graceful imagery to create the characters that make up Serafina's loving family--Papa, Manman and Gogo, her wise grandmother. (Sadly, Granpè was taken away long ago by the Tonton Macoutes.) Told in first-person verse appealing to both reluctant and passionate readers, the novel is woven with Haitian history, culture and Creole phrases. Readers will root for this likable heroine as she overcomes obstacles--poverty, family obligations, the catastrophic 2010 earthquake--in her effort to emulate her mentor, Antoinette Solaine, the physician who tried to save Pierre. The spirit of the text's celebration of the power of determination, family, friendship and love is ably captured in Sean Quall's delightful cover art. Lilting, lyrical and full of hope." - Kirkus starred review
