Ninth Ward

Rhodes, J. (2010). Ninth ward. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Awards: Coretta Scott King, 2010; Parents Choice Foundation Gold Award, 2010; School Library Journal Best Fiction, 2010.

 

Ninth Ward is a fascinating story told from the viewpoint of the main character, Lanesha, a thirteen-year-old girl being raised by her grandmother, Mama Ya-Ya. Lanesha is not a normal thirteen-year-old though as she has the gift of seeing dead people. That gift doesn’t seem to bother Lanesha much except that it does keep her from being accepted into certain circles at school as others shy away or tease her. The first part of the story tells about Lanesha, her gift, and those that are in her inner circle (dead and alive). Hurricane Katrina plays a role in the story as it is the impetus that makes Lanesha realize her gift is her strength and part of who she is. I enjoyed the character development at the first of the book, and was on the edge of my seat during the last part hoping that all would make it through the hurricane. This book reminded me of the movie Sixth Sense as both had children who had a gift of seeing dead people, they both had a hard time reconciling to their gift, and at the end realized it wasn’t a weakness but actually a strength.