The Year I Flew Away

Balancing realistic and fantastical elements, Arnold's astute debut asks hard questions about what it means to be an American and who is considered one. Ten-year-old Gabrielle is facing the biggest challenge of her life as she moves from her small, close-knit Haitian village to New York City. When her parents' papers don't come through, she's sent alone to stay with an overworked aunt and uncle she's never met, a standoffish teen cousin, and young twins. Though Gabrielle is determined to do her best, fitting in turns out to be harder than she thought. She doesn't know English very well, and a mean girl bullies her relentlessly at school. Then a red door appears in her apartment building's lobby at midnight; behind it, a seemingly benign witch offers to grant her wish of fitting in--for a small price. Arnold depicts experiences of racism that people of color frequently face in the U.S. ("In America, your color walks in the door before you do. Always") while maintaining Gabrielle's sense of her own strength and writing an inclusive, sometimes fanciful supporting cast, including Rocky, a rat that wants to be a rabbit. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)