Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Clara lives on an island in a tight knit village with people who feel so familiar. It's small and seaside so no one ever visits and no one really leaves. There's the grouchy old woman whom seems to dislike everyone but everyone does what she needs without question. There's the pastor that's overly judgmental. Clara's cousin Gaynah who she gets along with one minute and is at odd's with the next. And there's her ostracized uncle who everyone calls a witch doctor. Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The one thing that kept me from abandoning it, was the fact that I wanted to know what had happened last summer that made Clara lose all her memories. When the big reveal came, I was left speechless. The way the author unveiled the mystery was so well done, that I cannot believe that this is a MIDDLE GRADE contemporary!!
The reason why I’m giving it a 3/5 stars is because for me it was an average read. It didn’t really stand out to me but I didn’t dislike it either. I really enjoyed this book! Both Contemporary and Middle Grade aren't my usual reads so it was definitely outside my comfort zone but I enjoyed reading about Clara's days spent exploring the island that is her home and games of make-believe. This one felt very realistic to the age audience. It’s a middle grade for the younger end of middle grade readers. I think the writing was suitable to the age audience who would be reading it. Seeing the make-believe adventures the children went on and the small arguments they had with each other felt very realistic. Nothing much happens in Sycamore, the small village where Clara lives - at least, that's how it looks. She loves eating ripe mangoes fallen from trees, running outside in the rainy season and escaping to her secret hideout with her best friend Gaynah. There's only one problem - she can't remember anything that happened last summer.The story about a young girl who can't remember anything from her previous summer after a hurricane. For a community where nothing new happens, the entire community is abuzz with the arrival of new visitors from the UK. Gaynah tells Clara all about the new visitors, but Clara isn’t interested in making any new friends. While Clara is excited for summer, she cannot help but feel left out as she cannot remember what happened last summer. Clara cannot remember what happened last summer and why she is not able to go into water without being overcome by fear. Her parents won’t fill her in, her best friend teases her for her memory loss… maybe this summer will be different, maybe she will remember…. In the small community of Sycamore Hill, where Clara lives, everyone knows everyone else’s business, but there are plenty of things nobody will talk about. Is it really true that no one here has any secrets? Something happened last summer – something big – but Clara cannot remember what. She’s fallen out with her best friend Gaynah because of it, and Clara feels like she’s a problem that everyone is trying to fix.
Clara lives on an island where everybody knows everybody, and the summer consists of eating mangoes in hideouts and hanging out with your friends. The only downside to Clara's life is that ever since the storm last summer she can't remember anything that happened, not even when prompted by her mother or best friend Gaynah. Can anything stir up her forgotten summer memories? Or are some memories best left in the dark? I really felt welcomed to Clara's small village of Sycamore, I usually prefer cities over small towns, but the community spirit and the way they were all a big family that loved each other and took care of each other made me understand the appeal and I loved every moment I spent there. When Life Gives You Mangos is a wonderful story with great heart, mystery, and insight. What a treat to walk alongside Clara in her vibrant Jamaican home, through the peaks and valleys of the human experience—heartache and joy, alienation and deep friendship, regret and redemption. Clara is the girl we all wish was our best friend—honest, spirited, and real. Kereen Getten is a bright new voice. Her writing strikes the perfect balance of beauty, depth, and a touch of mango!”—Clare Vanderpool, author of Newbery Medal winner Moon Over Manifest and Printz Honor book Navigating Early A heartfelt and accessible debut about friendship, memory, and forgiveness.”—Tae Keller, author of Newbery Medal winner When You Trap a Tiger She loves eating ripe mangoes fallen from trees, running outside in the rainy season and escaping to her secret hideout with her best friend Gaynah. There's only one problem: she can't remember anything about the previous summer.
Keep in touch
When a quirky girl called Rudy arrives from England, everything starts to change. Gaynah stops acting like a best friend, while Rudy and Clara roam across the island and uncover an old family secret. Getten’s handling of potentially tough topics like family, disability, and religion is spot-on, weaving important discussions into an adventurous, summery plot that just keeps going.”— SLJ, starred review Twelve-year-old Clara lives on an island that visitors call exotic. But there's nothing exotic about it to Clara. She loves eating ripe mangos off the ground, running outside in the rain with her Papa during rainy season, and going to her secret hideout with Gaynah--even though lately she's not acting like a best friend. I think at some points the story lulled a little bit and slowed down. But all I can say on that is this book is worth holding out for. There is a plot twist moment I didn’t see coming, and it surprised me. It blew my mind, and it also made everything move along faster afterward again.
It's a slow starter but it's a well written book about friendship with a bit of mystery mixed in. Clara is suffering from memory loss and has trouble recalling the events of last summer which have left her shaken. She once loved the water but now has a fear of it. Clara's whole neighborhood seems to be judging her until one day a new girl comes to visit from NY. The new girl Rudy doesn't judge her for her behavior or make her feel inferior.
Success!
A heartwarming yet suspenseful debut about the strength of family, the turmoil of friendshipslost and found, and most importantly, remembering who you are.”—LynneKelly, author of the Schneider Award winner Song for a Whale I did really enjoy Kereen Getten's writing. She doesn't talk down to you like you sometimes find in children's books and I enjoyed my time reading this one. I loved this book, there's something just so unique and special about it, and Clara's voice is quiet, but powerful. I loved the small town girl / big city girl dynamic as Rudy moves to town and becomes friends with Clara, and neither girl shuns the other's culture, happy to learn from the other. The plot is nice too. It meanders at the start, as we see Clara going about her daily summer life and seeing the trials and tribulations of a typical 12 year old girl. Her family has some problems, there's tension with the Pastor, but generally it seems a gentle life with a little undercurrent of mystery about last summer and Clara's uncle who lives a solitary outcast life in a big house on the hill. Then that twist comes out of left field and punches you in the gut. Honestly, did not see it coming. At all. It's very well written into the story, almost as though you should have expected it all along and weaves the explanation into the plot quite organically. I just wish it had been explored a bit more, and in great depth.
Inspired by the author’s childhood experiences, When Life Give You Mangosis a celebration of island life as well as a rich, lyrical mystery. Clara lives on a small, island village, where she loves the people and the memories she's made there. Except, she can't remember anything of what happened last summer, and lately, her best friend, Gaynah, hasn't been treating her like a friend. This summer, however, fate has something different in store for Clara, starting with a new girl coming to the village. I also really liked the small town feels we get in this book. All the friends know each other, and everyone knows everyone’s business. And just like in a small town, while everything seems deceptively out in the open, there are more secrets being kept here than we first believe. Despite these unsettling mysteries, the superbly-evoked Sycamore Hill is a steady kind of place. In Clara’s words, “You live and you die here. No one leaves and no one new comes in. Sometimes that’s a good thing because you know everyone, and everyone knows you. Other times you get tired of seeing the same faces and want something new.” And then something new happens in the form of Rudy, a cool, confident girl from Britain who turns out to be Ms Gee’s granddaughter. At Rudy’s arrival, “the entire village is buzzing. This is the most excitement we have ever had,” and it’s not long before the girls strike up a beautiful bond. Soon enough, Clara is enjoying escapades her parents wouldn’t entirely approve of because “there is something magnetic about Rudy and her adventures.”
About Kereen Getten
But what surprised me the most, was the supernatural element in this book. I thought that it was a contemporary but apparently it also has people who can see ghosts?
Great Deal 
New Comment