Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar

1. Bibliography

Behar, Ruth. Lucky Broken Girl. New York: Puffin Books, 2017. ISBN: 9780399546457

2. Plot Summary

Ruth is from Cuba, and she wants to be in the smart class. She spells her way there, but before she can go. She is in a terrible car accident. This leaves her with a body cast to help her heal her leg. It takes a long time for Ruth’s leg to heal. In the meantime, she has to heal her insides and forgive. Lots of friends and family come to visit and tell her stories on her way to heal.

3. Characters:

Ruth is the antagonist and protagonist of this story. She has to heal physically and mentally. She experience a limited amount of the world from her bed through stories of others. This and a little push from minor characters creates an interesting perspective through Ruth’s eyes telling her story.

4. Setting:

The main setting is in her bedroom. Her culture and the culture of many others are brought into this setting. This is where she learns about the Indian God, Shiva and the Mexican painter Frida. All of these cultures come together for Ruth so she can heal. There are different types of food from several cultures that are talked about like “puffs” from Denmark, or “cafecito” from Cuba. This gives more of a feel to the diverse cultures brought into the story.

5. Illustrations:

There only illustrations are the pages that tell the new part of the book. These pages are in black and white. At the top there are flowers that represent Cuba. The bottom of the page shows a city representing New York. In the middle of the bottom there is a single plant. This overlapping symbol show the coming together of Cuba ad America.

6. Theme:

The deep theme is to forgive and have hope. The author struggles with this theme at the beginning of her story. It is not until the middle of the story where Ruth begins to show emotion of anger that the forgiveness can begin. Once she starts to forgive, hope sneaks in and encourages her to become the “Hopscotch Queen” again.

7. Cultural Markers:

Stereotypes are limited in this story. The reader cannot get a sense of what cultures are being represented. It will mention Cuba, Mexica, or India but that does not give a lot of stereotype for those cultures. The authenticity is deliberately created, but falls flat to show any diversity in cultures. There is only a small amount of correct facts about the cultures. Chicho’s Mexican culture is represented predominantly when he talks about art, and the shrine for those who have passed on. There are no source notes. There are acknowledgements, about the author, interview with the author, and Family recipes, all of these combined together does give the qualification for the author to write this story. This is a story that happened to the author. Some events did not occur, but she would have liked them to have occurred. The moving of the bed so she could look out the window, did not happen. The characters in the family showed subordination with each other. Papi shows he is the head of the household and he makes all of the decisions. He is shown undermining Mami on her feelings. All non-English words are used correctly and it is natural when they are spoken. This story can stand alone without the culture diversity.

8. Connections Teacher and Library Corner:

Students will use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the characters, or cultures mentioned. For struggling readers, they can use a double Venn diagram or T chart to compare Ruth to one other character. For advance readers they can use a triple Venn diagram or another graphic organizer of their choice to complete this assignment. Once everyone has completed their graphic organizers, they will take posit notes and walk around the room to read other ones. They may leave positive comments, questions, or ah ha moments.

9. You Tube:

This is the official trailer from the author. She takes you to her neighborhood and shows her as a little girl.

10. Review Excerpts:

“A cultural anthropologist and poet, the author based the book on her own childhood experiences, so it's unsurprising that Ruthie's story rings true. The language is lyrical and rich, the intersectionality—ethnicity, religion, class, gender—insightful, and the story remarkably engaging. . . . A poignant and relevant retelling of a child immigrant's struggle to recover from an accident and feel at home in America.” Kirkus Reviews

“Behar’s first middle grade novel, a fictionalized telling of her own childhood experiences in the 1960s, is a sweet and thoughtful read, slowly but strongly paced, and filled with a wealth of detail that makes the characters live. Both poetic and straightforward, this title will appeal to young readers with its respect for their experiences and its warm portrayal of a diverse community. In addition to Ruthie’s realistic and personal voice, the novel’s strength is in its complex portrayal of the immigrant experience, with overlapping stories of who goes and who comes and the paths they travel. Recommended and relatable. Hand this to fans of Rita Williams-Garcia and those who loved The Secret Garden.” School Library Journal

“Strongly sketched novel. . . . Readers will get a powerful sense of the historical setting through Ruthie’s narration, but the novel is perhaps defined even more by her family’s status as immigrants and by its memorable multicultural cast. . . . Behar successfully juggles several engaging plot threads, and Ruthie’s complicated relationship with her mother, given the demands of her care, is especially compelling.” Publishers Weekly

“From facing feelings about the boys who caused her accident, to finding herself in painting and writing, to learning that she isn’t ‘slow’ just because English isn’t her first language, Ruthie faces everything with an impressive inner strength. Fans of character-driven middle-grade novels, particularly those looking for diverse books, should be easily charmed by Behar’s story, which is inspired by her own childhood as a Cuban immigrant in 1960s New York and her first-hand experience of surviving a car crash and spending a year in a full-body cast (an author’s note offers some illuminating details).” Booklist

“An unflinchingly honest first-person narrative . . . (an appended note provides more context and encourages readers to ‘speak up. Tell your story’). Effectively scattered Spanish phrases lend authenticity, while period references evoke the 1960s setting.” The Horn Book

11. Children’s Reviews:

“I thought the book was definitely sad, because a lot of people die and there is sad parts. I loved though, because it has a good lesson and I could relate to Ruthie. I also liked, because they're very funny parts in the book. Ruthie changes a lot she becomes very happy joyful person but when she got into the accident, she is a depressed no personality but when she starts to walk she becomes very happy again. This is nothing like a book a read, because this book is more about real life and serious issues. I recommend this book, because it's very inspiring, and it has ups and downs. The audience that would probably like this book that get touched very easily and love sad but happy endings type of books. I think the interesting thing in the book is Ruthie, because she goes through a lot.” Jadyn 4th grade

12. Awards and Recognitions:

2018 Pura Belpré Author Award

13. Book Suggestions by Ruth Behar

She has not written any other children or young adult books. Here is an adult recommendation. An Island Called Home ISBN: 978-0813545004

Other Books: These are children and Young adult books

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan ISBN: 978-1481492072

Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres ISBN: 978-0316306843

14. Official Site: Take a walk-through event, and writings with Ruth Behar on her website.

15. Rating: My rating is 3 stars. It was very hard for me to read this book. I felt there was a lot of whinny and not a lot of diversity in the story. I have sympathy towards the little girl and Ruth, because I know how hard this would have been to go through.