Isabel in Bloom - by Mae Respicio

About the Book

Making friends in a new city, and new country, is hard for twelve-year-old Filipina-American Isabel, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school helps her find her way.

Book Synopsis

A girl discovers a connection between her home in the Philippines and her new home in the U.S. through a special garden in this middle grade novel that celebrates nourishment and growth.

Twelve-year-old Isabel is the new kid in her San Francisco middle school. It's the first time in many years that she'll be living with her mother again. Mama's job in the US allowed Isabel and her grandparents to live more comfortably in the Philippines, but now Isabel doesn't really know her own mother anymore.

Making new friends in a new city, a new country, is hard, but joining the gardening and cooking club at school means Isabel will begin to find her way, and maybe she too, will begin to bloom.

In this beautifully rendered novel-in-verse, Mae Respicio explores how growth can take many forms, offering both the challenges and joy of new beginnings.

Review Quotes

"This sweet and heartfelt novel explores how bumpy beginnings can offer chances for new growth." --The New York Times

"Respicio examines themes of racism, cultural heritage, and community building by focusing on positive occurrences in Isabel's life, throughout offering solutions that model helpful next steps for readers in similar circumstances." --Publishers Weekly

"Respicio's novel in verse tackles the emotional journey of sacrifice and opportunity that many new immigrants experience, as well as the plight of Filipinos living abroad to earn money." --Booklist

"Heartfelt and moving." --Kirkus Reviews

"A touching novel....[Respicio] poetically incorporates the experiences and feelings immigrants may have when moving to a new country." --School Library Journal

"The novel brings light to unconventional family structures and hate crimes against Asian Americans elders." --The Horn Book

About the Author

Mae Respicio writes novels full of hope and heart. Her debut, The House That Lou Built, received the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Honor Award in Children's Literature and was an NPR Best Book of the Year. She's also the author of the acclaimed Any Day With You and How to Win a Slime War.