Serafina's Promise

About this book

Serafina has
a secret dream.

She wants to go to school
and become a doctor
with her best friend, Julie Marie.

But in their rural village
outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti,
many obstacles
stand in Serafina’s way--
little money,
never-ending chores,
and Manman’s worries.

More powerful even
than all of these
are the heavy rains
and the shaking earth
that test Serafina’s resolve
in ways she never dreamed.

At once heartbreaking and hopeful,
this exquisitely crafted story
will leave a lasting impression
on your heart.

Reviews

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