Oh, give me a home A mostly true story in verse

In this eloquent verse memoir, a young girl's understanding of home evolves. Kurtz offers readers a deeply personal vision of her unique childhood. Thanks to her World War II veteran father, a Protestant minister, she was raised in Maji, a small village in the mountains of Ethiopia, where she was home-schooled by her mother. A white girl born in America, young Janie had a happy and full life in Ethiopia. She played with her four sisters, concocted schemes to procure a pet, and reveled in sensory experiences specific to her rural East African childhood--a misty waterfall, aromatic spices, sour breads, and encounters with wild animals. At the same time, she remained conscious of her parents' concerns, especially her mother's anxiousness as her belly grew with a new pregnancy. Jane, in turn, began to worry that change was imminent--and it was soon confirmed that the family would return to America for a year. The memoir's latter half chronicles their long journey to their temporary home in Idaho, where Jane entered third grade and experienced a deep sense of displacement: "In Boise, / I look like I belong. / I sound like I belong. / But I'm different, too. / Different on the inside." Free verse perfectly captures Janie's thought processes--wistful, scattered, at once self-centered and keenly attuned to others' emotions. This youthful perspective makes Kurtz's recollections from years ago feel fresh and immediate. A buoyant, beautiful explication of cultural adjustment as seen through a child's eyes.(Verse memoir. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Sister pile It's a famous Maji fog. My green, green world-- green grass, green trees, green forests around our mountain-- goes softly white. Time for a sister pile! Joy and Cathy pretend to be puppies. Janny totters and squeals on the side. "Come," Joy tells her. "You can be Janie's puppy dog." "Pee-yew, no," I say. "No poopy puppy diapers for me." Everyone giggles except Carolyn. Carolyn acts aloof-- a word she taught me, a word she's showing off to prove she's grown-up. Joy tips her head to be cute. Cathy bounces and nips. "Ouch!" Joy says. "Get away!" "Girls," Mom says. "Not so wild, please." She rests her hands on her belly. Daddy looks up from whatever he's fixing. "Be good," he says. "I'll sing with you soon." The sister pile turns to squeals, with even Carolyn deciding to play. On foggy days, this house is a house full of sisters, the whole and only world. Excerpted from Oh Give Me a Home by Jane Kurtz All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.