The main character in this story, Ruth, is an immigrant from Cuba living in New York. After leaving Castro's rule, Ruth and her family are trying to find their way while working, going to school and learning English. Ruth and some of her family are involved in a car accident that leave Ruth with broken leg, but she ends up having to spend months in a full body cast in order to keep her legs growing at the same rate. Ruth has friends come and go throughout this process, and she has to overcome the fear of learning how to walk again and go back to "normal" life.
What I loved most about this book is that it offers a new perspective for young adults to relate to life challenges including how to find and value true friendship. Not only does Ruth find one friend in Ramu, but she also finds a friend in Chicho. Kids at the adolescent stage are constantly fighting to find their place, especially among circles of friends.
I would love to use this book with my 4th and 5th grade readers in a book club. This would be such a great opportunity for them to define what a good friend is, list qualities of a good friend, and even make lists of people they currently know that would qualify.
Behar, R. (2017). Lucky Broken Girl. World Cat.
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