Many could not escape it during the 2005 storm. The Ninth Ward in New Orleans, La., is known for its destitute status. “So it doesn’t matter whether she goes to Houston or Paris or stays in the Ninth Ward. She becomes a butterfly ready to soar,” Rhodes said. “And that’s the transformation Lanesha grows through. The book is filled with authentic characters and relationships, reflecting on how tragedy can bring forth great inspiration. Mama Yaya speaks in parables, sees ghosts and visions and has been raising Lanesha ever since her 17-year-old mother died giving birth. Lanesha aspires to be an engineer, as she dreams about building bridges. The story follows a gifted and thoughtful young girl, Lanesha, who must find a way to help her 82-year-old caretaker, Mama Yaya, survive Hurricane Katrina. “I always wanted to write a children’s book,” Rhodes said about Ninth Ward. The local chapter of the American Red Cross will join the Young Readers to talk about hurricanes as natural disasters, and survival skills. Published in 2010, the book is the second CLSC Young Readers selection this season. “I think the stars have all been swept up by the storm” are 12-year-old Lanesha’s resonating words in Jewell Parker Rhodes’ fictional narrative Ninth Ward.
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