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Gr 8-Up To those back in Haiti, "touching snow" means living in America. For seventh-grader Karina, however, life in suburban Chestnut Valley, NY, is far from easy. Her extended family struggles to survive in a world in which they are social and cultural outsiders, where food and shelter are still uncertain, and where a visit from the authorities can mean deportation to a much more desperate homeland. For Karina, though, the biggest threat is within her family. Her stepfather uses brutal force to dominate his wife and st...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

The daughter of a Haitian immigrant, middle-schooler Karina Lamond has grown up in an environment where physical discipline for trespasses like not clearing one's plate is an accepted norm—but for Karina's stepfather, "the difference between punishing kids and torturing them" is irrelevant. After her oldest sister Enid receives a life-threatening beating and an anonymous phone call brings the authorities, Karina is encouraged to find a life outside the...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Haitian American middle-schooler Karina takes refuge from her violent home by volunteering at a community center. When a same-sex friendshi...Log In or Sign Up to Read More