Even though Isabel in Bloom by Mae Respicio is more of a Spring/Summer read than a Fall/Winter one, I loved the infusion of sunshine it gave my end-of-the-year reading. Its hopeful, life-affirming message is uplifting no matter what the season! 

Written in verse, this middle-grade novel concerns a 12-year-old girl from the Philippines who has just moved to California to live with her mother. She has been raised by her grandparents for most of her life while her single mother worked in the U.S., visiting her native country only occasionally. Isabel is nervous not only about relocating to a foreign place, but also about living with a woman she barely knows. In the Philippines, she has her friends, her beloved grandparents, the lush garden she helps care for, and the sights, sounds, and tastes she's used to. What is there for her in America? 

Just as Isabel feared, she feels like a complete outsider in San Francisco. When she discovers a neglected garden at her school, though, she sees a glimmer of hope. Could resurrecting the Garden Club be the key to finding belonging in her strange new life? Or will her efforts be shut down before she—and the garden—really gets the chance to blossom?

Isabel in Bloom addresses some serious issues, including Asian hate, but overall, it's a sweet, wholesome novel with a happy ending (that comes too easily, but still...). It provided a perfect palate cleanser for me after a series of darker reads. Isabel is a sympathetic character. Even if we've never had to start over in a new place, all of us have been the "new kid" in one situation or another. It's easy to empathize with Isabel as she navigates life in a foreign environment, tackles homesickness, and learns to trust a parent she hardly knows. I loved watching our heroine use her unique talents and skills to not just find belonging for herself but also to inspire her classmates to help others in their community. Her story is inspiring, teaching valuable lessons about teamwork, speaking up about things that are important, the power of the natural world to bring people together, service to others, etc. Because I lived in the Philippines briefly as a teenager and it still holds a special place in my heart, my favorite part of Isabel in Bloom is the descriptions of life in that country. Reading about the smell of sampaguita flowers, the taste of bibingka cakes, the mano po gesture used to show respect to the elderly, and more brought back happy memories of things I'd almost forgotten. For all these reasons, I very much enjoyed this nostalgic, edifying read.

(Readalikes: Reminds me a bit of Blackbird Fly by Erin Estrada Kelly and New From Here by Kelly Yang)

To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Isabel in Bloom from Cindy over at Kiss the Book, who got it free from an American Library Association conference. Thank you!