The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes REVIEW

Book Details:

Pages: 160

Publisher: Puffin

Released: January 10th 2008

Synopsis:

Paris has just moved in with the Lincoln family, and isn't thrilled to be in yet another foster home. She has a tough time trusting people, and she misses her brother, who's been sent to a boys' home. Over time, the Lincolns grow on Paris. But no matter how hard she tries to fit in, she can't ignore the feeling that she never will, especially in a town that's mostly white while she is half black. It isn't long before Paris has a big decision to make about where she truly belongs. Nikki Grimes has created a portrait of a young girl who, in the midst of being shuffled back and forth between homes and realizing things about other people and the world around her, gradually embarks on the road to discovering herself.

Review:

The Road to Paris was a very different type of read for me. Not only because it was realistic fiction but I normally do not read books with such realistic issues that still occur in our society today.

This was a sad story of a girl who had a broken relationship with her mother and was thrown into horrible foster care homes. She was mistreated. This book deals with racial issues and foster care. It talks a lot about acceptance and the importance of having a strong family foundation. One of the hardest things for me to read was when the main character Paris says, "Home is a painful word to spell". To think that you don't know where you belong and don't have a place to go home saddens me.

Let me go more in depth on the writing and actual narrative. Now this book is not beautifully written and is pretty straight forward. It is a quick read unless you are very young like 6-8 years old. Especially if you have been through a similar situation to the main character, then it may take some time to read.

This is a good book and I am happy to have read it, and I would recommend it. It is an average read but has a great theme especially for young readers.

3 stars