Island Princess in Brooklyn

For Ages: 10-14 years

• Diane Browne

Thirteen year old Princess arrives from Jamaica to live with her mother in Brooklyn, New York. How will she ever get accustomed to the many unexpected (and sometimes really weird) experiences in this place far away from her beloved Granny?

Can she settle into her new life, a new school, making new friends, and find a place for herself? Her life is full of anxiety, and surprising twists and turns, but eventually she must decide where friendship, forgiveness and love fit in or be forced to return to Jamaica. How she overcomes the challenges of settling into a new environment, including school, makes an interesting story.

Key Features:

• The story places emphasis on an individual's moral strength, which often makes the difference between success and failure.
• The book is divided into 29 manageable chapters.
• The language of the story is mostly Standard English, but with words, phrases and idioms which represent the Jamaican creole. Explanations are skilfully integrated in the text to make it easy to understand them.
• The characters in the story, both boys and girls, are well drawn and representative of the early teen years. Princess experiences many of the kinds of challenges a sensitive teenager in a new situation would face.
• The story gives a glimpse of the culture and habits of life in Jamaica as well as among migrants in Brooklyn.
• Among other aspects of family life, the story deals with the experience, common to many Caribbean young persons, of having to accept a stepfather in the absence of the natural father.
• There is a glossary which explains words and phrases which were not dealt with in the text.
• This book is an excellent choice as an online reader for the diaspora, in schools as well as for families.