Brooklyn is a strange, intimidating place for a girl who speaks no English when she steps off her very first plane after a flight from the Dominican Republic. Jessica and her mom, Camila, must live in their cousins’ crowded apartment until Camila finds work making holiday decorations and they can afford their own place. Isolated on the playground and baffled in class, unable to understand her teacher’s instructions, Jessica is intensely homesick. But little by little, things get better. She begins to learn English, and she loves the cats she and her mom care for to earn extra money. Left behind by traveling owners, the cats make the best of their situation, inspiring Jessica to do the same. color throughout Gr 2-4-A young girl moves from the Dominican Republic to New York City with her mother. She and her mother miss their home, but within a few months, they adjust to their new life. The unnamed girl appears to be about seven; the reason for their move is never stated. Although the girl and her mother initially move in with relatives, once they move out, they are isolated. However, the bond between them is sweet and loving. The mother supports her daughter through her struggles at school and works hard to provide for her. Mother and daughter are brown-skinned, but there are people of many races and colors portrayed in the illustrations. The artwork's vibrant color scheme is appealing. Brightly colored markers and colored pencils make the illustrations shine. Exteriors and interiors are intricately detailed. Shops have fancy window displays. Kitchens are filled with fruits and vegetables. Tablecloths have fun patterns. The people are less skillfully composed. Head sizes vary, bodies are disproportionate, and perspectives are oddly skewed. The layout of pictures and text lacks cohesion. Some pages have one or two sentences, but a few contain multiple paragraphs of text. Illustrations typically take up a full page, but some pages contain comic-style panels with word bubbles, while others include dialogue within the narrative. By the end of the book, the protagonist has overcome her frustration at school and, thanks to a cat-sitting job, feels more at home in her new surroundings. Despite the lengthy text, readers may not know how she arrived at that state. VERDICT A sweet but uneven story of immigration and adjustment that will appeal to anyone who has ever been the newcomer.-Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "Diaz renders Sunset Park in culturally specific detail and with a rainbow of tropical colors; amid a variety of page layouts, a muted double-page spread of Central Park in the snow stands out beautifully. Meanwhile, Pelaez and McGee’s text is compassionate and earnest..." ― ANAMARÍA ANDERSON, Horn Book "This book is all about immigrating from the Dominican Republic to Brooklyn. It doesn’t sugarcoat anything, but it also ends on a hopeful note." ― Betsy Bird, School Library Journal "An Afro-Dominican child with brown skin and colorful bobbles in her braided hair takes her first plane ride, moving from the Dominican Republic to New York City with her mother. Upon arrival, the two stay with an aunt and cousins in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, until they can find an apartment of their own. As Mama gets a job making holiday decorations, the child works hard in school, eventually finding community. In a first-person perspective, Pelaez and McGee sketch vivid portraits of the family’s culture, incorporating defined Spanish: “I missed mi abuela (my grandmother) and her house.” Detailed, marker-bright illustrations by Diaz effectively employ comics-style panels and speech bubbles, successfully reflecting one child’s gradual journey of adaptation ." ― PW "The Afro-Caribbean experience is seldom seen in children’s books, and cultural insiders will appreciate the text’s references to the Dominican Republic and its inclusion of Spanish language. This can be paired with other stories of immigration, change, or starting anew." ― Amina Chaudhri, Booklist "A story full of vitality and compassion, Starting Over in Sunset Park will speak to all readers but will resonate most strongly with anyone who has ever made a home in a new country." ― Julie Danielson, BookPage Caring for resilient cats helps eight-year-old Jessica, a newly arrived immigrant, adapt to life in New York City. Lynn McGee’ s (Bronx, NY) published volumes of poetry include Tracks (2019), Sober Cooking (2016), and two award-winning chapbooks. Twice a Pushcart nominee, she is also a Best of the Net Award nominee and winner of a MacDowell fellowship and a Judith’s Room Emerging Writers Award. She has taught college writing as well as adult literacy to immigrants and has led poetry workshops in New York City elementary schools as an artist-in-residence with the Teachers and Writers Collaborative. Lynn is a communications